Riku's Rose
by Rosie71367
Summary: My RikuOC fic. Just your basic sap with a little bit of a plot line. Rose is from a place "in between" (if you know anything about KH2 you probably know what that is) and she wakes up in Traverse Town to a silver-haired hottie. Must know KH to understand.
1. One

Here is the annoying authours note and disclaimer. I don't own Kingdom Hearts or anything in it. I do own _Isola Del Cielo_ (Italian for "Island in the Sky) and Rose. So go on and read already.   
  
Pain. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.   
I awoke, opening my eyes as I had on countless mornings before now. But, something felt strange, out of the ordinary, wrong. I realized what this was when my eyes were fully opened. A rush of adrenaline had me awake and sitting up very quickly, rendering me blind for a few seconds.  
  
   "Ah... Where am I?" The room was ...red. That's the best way I can explain it. It had an Asian flair to it, old Japanese paintings hanging on the walls, a high, red canopy above a bed covered in red sheets and gold kanji on the headboard. The Red Room.  
  
   A voice spoke. A male voice. "Are you okay?" He sounded nice enough. I nodded slowly, looking at the silver-haired boy leaning on the door frame.  
  
"Yeah... I think"  
  
"Good, now... Who the _hell _are you?" Scratch my previous observation. This guy was a total bastard. And I was mad.  
  
"Me?" I was awake now, and when I wake up, you usually should stay away from me for a few hours.  "Oh, me! I'm fine, just waking up in a strange bed with a strange smell with SOME STRANGE GUY ASKING WHO THE HELL I AM! All I wanna know is where on earth this ...place... is! I'm lost! All I did was pass out in my perfectly normal neighborhood where I went, _go_, to a perfectly ordinary school with perfectly normal people in a perfectly normal world! Then I wake up here, with red sheets in an abnormal place! With _you_, whoever you are, asking who the _hell _ I am! Tell me where the _hell_ I am and I'll tell you who the _hell _ I am!" I was standing up now, and he seemed a little taken aback by this outburst.  
  
We stood there for a minute, staring defiantly at each other, before he finally said, "So... Who the _hell _ are you?" I couldn't believe him.  
  
"Oh, was I not speaking English?" I raised an eyebrow. "Tell me where the _hell _ I am and I'll tell you who the _hell_ I am. That's all there is too it."  
  
It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. "You don't know?"  
  
   "Duh."  
  
"Most people know."  
  
"So what?"  
  
"Especially the women."  
  
"I'm a lady, and I have no clue where the _hell_ I am."  
  
"You don't know."  
  
"FOR THE LAST TIME, I DO NOT KNOW WHERE THE _HELL_ I AM!"  
  
He sighed and smiled. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Just answer the damn question."  
  
"Fine. If you answer mine."  
  
"My name's Rose. Now where the _hell _am I, and a new question, who the _hell _are you?"  
  
"Tsk, tsk, we're losing our temper a little too soon, don't you think?"  
  
"Stop avoiding the question."  
  
His black-gloved hand reached to push a few strands out of his face. "It's Riku. And not that blond. Do NOT get me confused with her."  
  
"And where am I?"  
  
"Traverse Town."  
  
"Tra- what?" My eyes widened.  
  
"Traverse Town. Second district, Hotel, Red Room, bed. Duh."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."  
  
"I answered your questions."  
  
"I have more."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Well, let's see. I know who I am, I know who you are, I know where we are. Three things. How did I get to this strange place? Where is Traverse Town? I've never seen it on any map. Why am I here? Is this some kind of practical joke? If so, fess up, the longer I'm in this, the angrier I'll be when I get out. And why are you here? Who exactly are you? And--"  
  
He walked up to me and put his hand over my mouth, suddenly serious. "Don't make a sound," he whispered. I followed his gaze, and looked out the window. "It's the supposed Keyblade master. He doesn't need to know we're here."  
  
I would have protested, but this guy was strong. I could see the muscles under his thin yellow shirt as he moved... Ah, quit it! No! NOT NOW!  
  
After the "danger" had passed, Riku relaxed and sat down on the bed, pulling me down next to him. "You don't know."  
  
"Quit saying that."  
  
"But everyone's supposed to know. They just do. It's a law, like if I drop something it'll fall down, not up or to the left."  
  
"Obviously I'm exempt."  
  
"Yeah, Yeah. Okay. What was the first question?"  
  
"How did I get here?"  
  
"It was destiny."  
  
"Oh, no. Not this. Too corny."  
  
"Fine then. Ask anyone around here. You'll get the same answer. Did you have another question?"  
  
"Duh. Who are you? I mean, I know your name, but I don't know anything else about you except that you have silver hair and green-blue eyes and h--" I cut my self off in mid sentence, but I think he knew what I was going to say, because his eyes were laughing.  
  
"You'll learn more than you want to know about me, Rose."  
  
"Riight. Who's this 'Keyblade Master'? And what are keyblades?"  
  
"A keyblade is a key that is a blade."  
  
"Explain that."  
  
He sighed, and held out his arm straight so it was in line with his shoulder blade. There was a deep glow, blue-black, and all of a sudden, a giant key appeared in his hand. This guy was good. "This is a Keyblade. There are two in the universe, one wielded by me, one wielded by Sora, my ex-friend, who can't use it to do anything but lock or unlock Keyholes and kill heartless."  
  
"What?"  
  
So I learned about the heartless, the keyblades, and this Sora guy who was working for the good people. Riku was working for the darkness. And I was stuck with him.   
  
"...you can either stay with me and go easy, or go with Sora, be a good little girl, and have it hard. I'll let you choose, but know that I will always be around for you, just in case."   
  
I thought about it for a moment. I know I wasn't an angel at home, but I knew where to draw the line between mischief and evil.  
  
"I don't really want to be on the dark side. I'll go with this Sora guy. I don't need to get myself killed, I still have plans for my life! You _know_ that the good guys always win."  
  
"Ah, now," he said, gesturing. "Light will win for a while, but the dark is always there. Always. You can't stop it from coming back."  
  
"But all the darkness in the world can't put out the light of a single candle."  
  
"Darkness could, if it was powerful enough."  
  
"Whatever." I stood up and walked ot the door. Just before opening it, I turned back to look at him, but he was gone. But, I could have sworn that I heard him, or the wind, or my crazy, messed up mind, saying _I'll always be here, just call me._ Dude. This was getting creepier by the second.  
  
I walked out of the hotel, and wandered along the streets, curious to where this Sora could be, what he might be like. I found a door with the words 'Third District' on it, and walked through. Nothing. I had expected there to be heartless somewhere, but I had encountered none. Walking up the stairs, I found a small house jutting out of the wall, and found the door unlocked. Upon walking in, I saw a girl in a purple skirt sitting at the table. When she saw me, she jumped up and raised her hands in a pathetic fighting stance.  
  
"Who are you?" At least she was politer than Riku.  
  
"You're not winning any battles against me, hun. I'm an elite." This wasn't exactly bluffing. Having grown up in the ghetto,  I had participated in more than my share of street fights.  
  
Her frame relaxed. "I suppose so. Sora just started teaching me yesterday..."  
  
"Wait. You know Sora?"  
  
"You do?" This girl was pathetic.  
  
"Yeah, I met him last night at the bar... then we went to a hotel." I smirked.  
  
Her eyes widened.   
  
"Just kidding, kid." Just how stupid was she?  
  
"Who are you?" she tried again, eyeing me suspiciously.  
  
"My name's Rose. You know Sora?"  
  
"Yeah. He's my boyfriend." That explained her reaction earlier. "Why should you care?"  
  
"I think my world was destroyed. I woke up in a strange bed in the Second District and this guy Riku told me to find Sora."  
  
"Riku gave up a girl? He must really like you."  
  
"Huh? How do you know Riku? And where's Sora?!?"  
  
"Riku's one of my ex-friends. I have quite a few, come to think of it. Sora's the only one left."  
  
I nodded. "That's nice. Where's Sora?"  
  
"Are you sure Riku said you could go? You know, you seem like just his type of girl."  
  
I glanced at her angrily. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
She giggled a girlie giggle. "Nothing."  
  
"Where's Sora?"  
  
She frowned at me. "You certainly are persistent. Sora usually will stop by right around this time to check on me, so you can meet him then. I'm Kairi, by the way."  
  
I hoped Sora would be along soon. The quicker I could get away from this ditz the better. The few minutes before he did show up were filled with a silence that I was comfortable with, dunno about her.  
  
The door opened, finally, and in came the brunette I saw fighting from the room earlier, followed by a duck and a wolf. Talking animals, how delightful.  
  
"Hey, Kairi."  
  
"Hi, Sora!"  
  
"Who's this?"  
  
Since I didn't want to hear my name coming out of her mouth I decided this was a good time to butt in. "I'm Rose. Riku said that you'd help me."  
  
He gaped at me. "Riku... How do you know Riku?"  
  
"I met him when I came here. He offered me a chance at power with the darkness, but I refused. He said you'd help me."  
  
He smiled the most cheesy smile I'd ever seen. "Sure! Of course!"  
  
I stayed with Sora and Kairi for a few days, but began to become impatient. One day, when Sora had come in to 'check on' Kairi and me, I asked him about something I had been wondering about for a while.  
  
"So, can you get me to another world?"  
  
"Yeah. But why don't you stay in Traverse Town with Kairi?"  
  
"Umm, let me think. You're idiot girlfriend is driving me crazy, and within the the next few hours, I'll probably end up killing her. And you wouldn't like that, now would you?"  
  
He, like Riku, had been seemed taken aback by my response. Then he shook his head. "Geez, sorry."  
  
"Looks like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed today!" It was the wolf. The wolf had talked.  
  
"Goofy... you might not want to--" started Sora.   
  
That was all I could take. Screaming time again. "Wrong side of the bed? WRONG SIDE OF THE BED! HOW BIG OF AN IDIOT ARE YOU? I woke up in the wrong bed, in the wrong world, in the wrong room, with some guy asking who the _hell_ I was, and then I come here, to the the supposed good side,  just to be stuck with some idiot brat who wears purple miniskirts! Then I meet Sora, who was supposed to help me, and all he does is ask pointless questions! And then, _then_, some weirdo wolf asks me if I woke up on the wrong side of the bed like I was some kid who enjoys visiting Disney World! So no, I DID NOT wake up on the wrong side of the bed!"  
  
The entire group was shocked into silence. I stared defiantly at them, daring someone to speak.  
  
"Rose? Can I talk to you outside?" asked Sora finally. I was the first at the door.  
  
He didn't go very far, then he asked me, "Rose?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I'll take you on my gummi ship if you can beat me in a fight."  
A fight was just what I needed at the moment, so I decided to agree with him.  
  
"Sure, sounds like fun." The moment I said that, two guns appeared in my hands. I gasped in surprise, and then just accepted it to be part of this dream.   
  
Sora just stared. "Where did you get those?"  
  
"I dunno," I said, making sure they were ready to fire, "but I'm certainly gonna use them!" I jumped away from him, and hit him twice, but he had not passed out, of course.   
  
No matter how cocky I seemed, though, Sora was still more powerful than I was. With my blood spattered all over me, I was as pale as a ghost. I fell to the ground, and Sora knelt down next to me. "You are very beautiful, Rose..."  
  
"Wha--?" But I didn't have the energy to stop him. He pressed himself onto me, into me... and I passed out.   
  
"Rose? Rose?"   
  
As always happens when I come to after passing out, I felt intense pain. And then the memories returned, sending a rush of adrenaline up my spine, causing me to sit up quickly. More quickly than my head would have liked. "Ah--"  
  
"Careful. You did just go through hell, if I'm not mistaken." I looked up to see a smiling Riku. But... I don't know if it was a smile or a smirk, one could never tell with him. "I thought this might happen. Sora can get... pretty horny sometimes."  
  
I sighed and laid back down on the bed, not feeling up to arguing. "Thanks. A lot. I don't know--" Riku placed his hand over my mouth.  
  
He sat down on the edge of the mattress, and studied my face for a while, before saying, "Try to get some sleep. It's already tomorrow morning, after all."  
  
Not wishing to bother my head with his banter, I closed my eyes and slipped into merciful sleep.  
  
Upon awakening, I found the room I was in empty, and got to look around. Blue. This, obviously, had an aquarium theme, and the wall were strange. Upon further investigation, I found that they were filled with blue water.... and there were fish swimming in them!  What was up with this place and color themes? I knew I was back in the hotel, somehow. Maybe it was that law Riku had mentioned.  
  
I opened the door and peered down the hallway, to see it empty. No, wait, the main doors were opening! A firm hand pushed the door shut. Strangest thing was, the hand was on _my side of the door._ Yet there had been no other person in the room before. But I knew who it was.  
  
"Riku." Turning around, I found myself looking into his eyes. Clear Aqua Blue.  
  
"You shouldn't go out there right now. Sora's looking for you." He hadn't removed his hand from the door, and we were so close our bodies were almost touching.   
  
"Uh... right." Saving me from embarrassment, he moved away to close the curtains on the only window in the room.   
  
"Riku?" My voice was rather out of it now.   
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What happened... in the alley... after I passed out?"  
  
"I carried you here."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Several hours later you woke up."  
  
"Ok..."  
  
"We're leaving for Halloween Town now. Follow me to the gummi ship." And he walked out of the room, leaving me standing there, mystified.  
  
Breathless, I followed him, he was somehow gliding quickly along the ground, more  quickly than a human could ever want to walk. We got to the large gates in front of the first district, and he grabbed my hand. "Ready?"  
  
"For what?"  
  
"To travel. It will take some time, none of the warp holes or warp drives are working."  
  
"Riiight. I don't know what you're talking about, but I will follow you."  
  
"Do that. Stay close." I grabbed onto his arm out of nervousness, but he acted as if he had frightened girls hanging onto his arm every day, and paid no attention to the fact.   
  
We jumped. For ten long seconds, there was complete darkness, and then we landed in chairs in the front of what looked like a ship.   
  
I couldn't say anything. It was amazing... full of lights and buttons and colors and sitting right next to me in the pilots seat was this really, really, mysterious, hot guy who thought nothing of it when I began clinging onto his arm. _No, wait. Just because he's hot doesn't mean I.. I like him... does it? No. No, not yet. But he's so hot....  
  
_ "Be ready for takeoff." The voice was his, but not the tender or sarcastic one that he had used before. This voice meant business.  
  
"Takeoff? Oh no..." I had just enough time to grasp the armrests of my chair before we were thrust forward into outer space.   
  
However, despite my earlier, er, nervousness, once we began flying at a normal pace on auto pilot, I began to actually enjoy the ride. In the back, there were two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchenette. Up front, where we spent most of the time on our first day, had the comfortable pilot and co pilot chairs and a huge windshield that reached from floor to ceiling.  
  
The day we took off, no body said anything after I had said 'oh no,' until right before I began to think I might go and rest.   
  
"Rose?"  
  
I turned, surprised. "Yes?"  
  
"Where are you from?"  
  
"...Truthfully?"  
  
"Yes, Rose, truthfully."  
  
Shaking my head, I closed my eyes. "I... I can't remember. I can't. And I'm not bothered by it..."   
  
"Ok." He turned his chair around to look at me, a girl wishing for answers, wishing for him, though he wasn't to know that.  
  
We were on the ship for a few days, and Riku had given me a tour. My room was in the back, along with a bathroom and a chest full of clothes and shoes. I had changed into these outfits, and today I was wearing blue jeans with a black t-shirt and black boots.  
"Hey, Rose?" He sounded a little more uncertain now, more like the fifteen year old boy that he was than the professional façade he put on.   
  
"Yes?"   
  
"Look." And he turned around to face the control panels again, then, pressing a button, he stood up and walked over to the door. I followed. Then I turned around to look.  
  
"Wow..."  
  
The entire gummi ship had suddenly become transparent. It was as if we were floating along in space with nothing. I felt like I was flying with my own wings. Hesitatingly, I reached out to touch a passing star. It didn't seem like those balls of gas, but more like a _star_. My fingers touched it. It was the most amazing feeling in the universe. Hot and Cold, Soft and Scratchy, and the most dominant feeling was... well, I can't describe it any other way than _sparkle_. It's one of those things you have to haven been there to know, I suppose.  
  
"You like it?" His voice pulled me out of my mesmerized state.  
  
"Yeah..."   
  
He put one hand on my shoulder, and I reached up behind me and held my hand over it. He began to move closer to me... but just as he was about to put both of his arms around me, there was a sudden jolt that knocked us both off our feet, and a red light began to flash.  
  
"Shoot!" He ran to his seat in the cockpit. The ship was no longer transparent. "Rose! Get over here now!"   
  
I ran to my seat and strapped myself in. "What's happening?"  
  
"We're damaged. Just a second." He maneuvered some levers, pushed some buttons, and ran right through a star. "There. Got it! And the warps working now."   
  
"What's a warp?" But before he could answer, we were pulled into what I supposed was a "warp," and there was a flash of bright light, and we landed.  
  
"That," he said, turning and smiling at me, "was a warp."   
  
I smiled back, and his hand briefly rested on my knee, but he quickly pulled away. "oh my god..." He was gazing at the landscape in front of us. It was bare. There was NOTHING there whatsoever.  
  
"Sora's been here. I HATE HIM!" He banged his fist on the dashboard.   
  
"Riku..." I reached out my hand toward him, but he had already started, up and pacing around.  
  
"All he does is take things from me. Kairi, the keyblade, the secret place, the race, Traverse Town, and now Halloween Town! He knew very well that I loved this place, Rose, don't you say anything about that!"  
  
"I wasn't going to defend him," I said, an obvious look on my face. "He raped me, remember?"  
  
"That's another thing he's stolen! Sora is such a THIEF!"   
  
He carried on like this until I thought he would explode if he turned any redder. "Riku?" I ran up to him, and put my arms around his waist from behind. "Riku! Please stop."  
  
My sudden action seemed to calm him down. "I'm sorry Rose..."  
  
"It's okay.." I let go of him. When he turned around, I thought a saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes, but it was gone in a second. This guy, no longer some strange bastard, was good at hiding his emotions.   
  
He walked back to the cockpit. "We're going to have to sleep here tonight, in the gummi ship. It's too late to travel to Hollow Bastion tonight." I came up behind him and nodded, trying to puzzle out all of the flashing buttons.   
  
"That's cool with me, Riku."  
  
"Now, let's go see what our gummi ship has in the kitchenette, shall we?" He walked to the back of the ship, me tailing him.  
  
After looking through the few cabinets for a few minutes, I said, "Look at this, Riku."   
  
"You found some food in these empty cupboards?"  
  
"Actually yes, at least I think so." I showed him the package.  
  
"I didn't know we had these," he said, gazing at them.  
  
"What are they?" I asked, looking through the cabinets.  
  
"It's a special kind of food, called _Tiroquis_. It's very rare, and very good to eat, especially on long journeys. And it's very filling."  
  
"Okay, we'll eat some of those then," and I pulled out a yellow star-shaped fruit. "And we can share one of these, they're gigantic!"  
  
"Err...."  
  
But before he could say anything, I had pulled out two plates and set them on the table and began to put the foods on the plate. "Come on, Riku! This fruit is _wonderful_." He walked over and began to eat.   
  
The entire supper was spent in awkward silence. He didn't seem to feel very willing to talk. However, when we had finished, and went back out to the main room, he turned around.   
  
"Err... g'night Rose..."  
  
"Yeah...g'night.."  I turned around and slowly walked into the room. I turned around before I shut the door, but he was gone.   
  
The room wasn't large, there was a small bed in the corner, and a chest at the foot of it. At the other end was a doorway, with a bathroom, nicely furnished. I was feeling a little (rather, very) sweaty and gross, so I turned on the shower. I threw my clothes on the floor, then stepped in. _Much better,_ I thought, as  I let the hot water flow over my body. The soap smelled like that star-fruit we had earlier at dinner. Needless to say, I stepped out of that shower clean and relaxed.   
  
Once I had dried off and combed out my hair, I went out to search from some fresh clothes. In the chest, there was a loose, yellow night dress, so I slipped it over my head. I felt curious, so I peaked out the door. He was there, standing with his back to me, majestic. "Good night, Riku," I whispered, and left the door ajar. I switched off the light and climbed into my bed, falling asleep quickly. However, at one point, when I wasn't fully unconscious, I felt a hand brush against my face, and it moved some hair away.   
  
I was awoken by the sound of the engine. I shuffled around in the chest for some clothes, and found black jeans and a red baby doll t-shirt I slipped into them (my door was closed now, of course), ran a brush through my hair, then opened my door, finding Riku at the cockpit.   
  
"Good morning," I said gazing at the back of his head.   
  
He turned around, startled, but when he saw me he smiled, "Good morning to you too, Rose."  
  
"Where are we going?" I sat down in the seat next to him.  
  
"Well, I got the warp working, so we can go to _Isola Del Cielo_ now."  
  
"Ice de what?"  
  
"_Isola_ _Del_ _Cielo_. My personal estate. It's where I hang out when I'm not in Halloween Town."  
  
"Sounds cool to me."  
  
For a few minutes, there was nothing, then, I decided to ask a question. "Why were you so rude to me in Traverse Town?"  
  
I thought I saw a hint of a blush on his cheek. "It's just how I'm accustomed to greeting people. And... there were other things going on."  
  
"Oh... that's okay. I'm sorry for how I acted, I just respond in the same voice."  
  
There was a few more minutes of awkward silence, and then we arrived.  
  
"Well... we're here."  
  
Black things began to swarm the place. "AHHHHHHH RIKU WHAT ARE THESE?" I couldn't escape them... I was drowning in cold darkness... I thought I was screaming his name, but I couldn't hear myself...   
  
"GET OFFA HER YOU BASTARDS!!!!" The cold darkness was gone in an instant, and I was laying on the floor on my back, Riku standing in front of me.   
  
He knelt down on the ground, and said, "Rose... I'm so sorry. I didn't know that they'd do that... Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah... Yeah I'm fine." I sat up and rubbed my head. "What were those creatures?"  
  
"Heartless, creatures of the darkness."  
  
"Who controls them?"  
  
"I do... but I don't have too much control over them, unfortunately."  
  
"Oh... well thanks for helping me."   
  
He helped me up, and said, "Come on, step outside. Tell me what you think."  
  
"Oh Riku..." It was beautiful. The night sky was filled with stars, and in front of me was an immense, dark castle, the dark glimmering. Glimmering in a way I cannot explain. The trees lining the drive that led up to the castle had a shimmering piece of darkness on the tip of each branch, it was a glimmering dream.   
  
"You like it?"  
  
"It's beautiful..."   
  
He smiled and held out his arm. "May I escort milady to the gates?"  
  
I smiled back, and decided to play along, so I put my arm through his and said, "Why, certainly. I would be most grateful."  
  
We began to walk up the drive, giggling like children all the way. When we reached the gates, we collapsed on each other, laughing our heads off. I began to play with his long, soft, silvery hair. He turned around and looked at me. "What?" I asked, "Do you not like me playing with your hair?"  
  
"I don't mind that... you just... surprised me."  
  
"I'm full of surprises." Then I kissed him on the nose and ran off up to the gates.  
  
"Hey!" He ran after me, and opened the door. "Welcome, Rose, to _Le Maison de Riku._"  
  
"Wow... it's so... big..."  
  
He smiled. "Your suite is this way..." He led me down a long corridor, right, left, left, right, down stairs, left, left, right, up stairs, upstairs again, left, right, right, left, it was a long ways to my room.   
  
"How am I ever going to remember how to get to my room?" I said, breathlessly, as we were climbing the last spiral staircase.   
  
"Oh, it will come to you when you want it to."  
  
"Right," I said sarcastically. "Sure it will."  
  
"Have I ever lied to you?"  
  
"I guess you haven't... It was Sora who did that."  
  
He smirked, "Yeah. That sounds like Sora."  
  
I shivered as I remembered it... the feeling...  
  
"Anyway," he said, thankfully interrupting my thoughts, "Ah, here we are." he opened the door, and led me into my new room. "I've got some business to attend to. We're expecting someone..."  
  
"It wouldn't happen to be Sora and his pets would it?"  
  
"Actually... it is. Kairi's staying behind--"  
  
"Thank God. That little bitch is so annoying."  
  
"Whatever. Just make sure you're not undressed when they get here."  
  
"Of course I won't. Err... What if Sora comes after me again?"  
  
"I've taken care of that." He walked over to the dresser, and pulled out a necklace. It had a silver angel, with shimmering black crystal pendant for the dress. "Here..." He put the necklace around my neck and fastened it. "This will generate a shield of darkness, something that Sora cannot pass through. It will protect you if he has intentions of harming you."   
  
I touched the pendant, it was vibrating with power. His hands had moved from the back of the necklace to my waist. "Thank you, Riku..." He walked to the other side of the room, turning and facing the window.  
  
"Oh god Rose..."   
  
Walking back over to me, he grasped my chin in one gloved hand.  
  
"Nothing comes without a price, Rose."  
  
"Wh-what?"  
  
But he didn't say a word. Instead, I felt... omigod, he was kissing me! Soon as I figured it out, though it took me a minute, I kissed him back. He was the one who broke it, after what seemed like ten minutes.  
  
"You're good," came his voice in a hoarse whisper. My head was lying on his shoulder.  
  
"Instinct."  
  
We sat there for a few minutes, and it was him who finally spoke.  
  
"Well... errr... I guess I'd better be going now..." He reluctantly let me go. "I'll see you later..."  
  
"Wait!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"How can I find you? It's such a big place... as soon as I'm changed I want to come back to you..."  
  
"Just say my name in the hall, and start walking. You'll find me."   
  
I ran up to him and gave him one last kiss on the lips. "I'll see you later then..."  
  
He gave a warm smile. "See you later."  
  
As soon as he left, I fell back on my bed, giggling. _He likes me! _When I recovered from my lovesick thoughts, I stood up and surveyed the room. (When one is kissing someone, one doesn't notice the room.) The bed was large, with a high canopy above it. The floor had a purple and gold carpet, and a cherry wood dresser with a large mirror sitting on it, along with a huge wardrobe. When I opened this wardrobe, I found everything from naughty, sexy lingerie to gigantic dresses clearly made to wear with hoops to the basic blue jean and t-shirt.   
  
I thought about it for a moment, then saw a note from Riku on pinned to one of the dresses.  
  
_Rose,  
I know this dress may be different for you, but I think it would be most... fitting... to greet him in, and to impress any other people who wander our way. Plus it matches your new necklace. Of course... the undergarments are up to you.   
Riku _  
  
The dress itself was one of the ones that fit my figure perfectly; the fabric was the exact color of my necklace, shimmering black. It was completely silk, extraordinarily soft to the touch. I looked through the lingerie and found undergarments that matched, and slipped on the dress. I walked over the dresser, and fixed my hair down in front of the mirror, just a simple thing. My face didn't need any makeup, and _I_ at least thought I looked presentable, so slipped on the shoes and walked outside.   
  
"Riku..." I whispered his name and began to walk. Pretty soon, I found myself in a room, where he was dressed in a black suit. I ran up and kissed him.   
  
"Rose... you look beautiful..." I looked down at the ground, a little embarrassed.  
  
"Thanks for lending me this..."  
  
"It's not a loan. I want you to keep that, and everything else in that room."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Well... I don't know..."  
  
"Hmmm...." he glanced at an orb on his desk. "Our visitors have arrived. Let's go greet them, it's only polite." He smirked.  
  
"I say we go." He held out his arm to me, and I took it, and we began our slow descent towards Sora and Co.  
  
"Gawrsh, this place sure is pretty."   
  
"Shut up, you oversized donkey."  
  
"Guys, will ya knock it off?"  
  
"Sorry, Sora."  
  
We watched Sora, Goofy, and Donald walking down the hall, towards the grand staircase, where we awaited their ascent.   
  
"They're so clumsy..." I whispered to Riku.  
  
"I know... you should have seen Sora when he was little."  
  
I giggled silently at this thought, then moved closer to Riku.   
  
"This place _is_ pretty," came Sora's voice.   
  
"Why, thank you, old friend," Riku had finally spoken.  
  
"YOU!" exclaimed Sora, making a mad dash toward the top of the stairs.  
  
Riku froze Sora where he was standing, all he could do was move his eyes around. "Either of you try that and the same will happen to you," he said to Goofy and Donald.  
  
"Gawrsh, Sora never did anything to you!" Goofy said ignorantly.  
  
It was exploding time for Riku. He began to circle Sora, yelling, "NEVER DID ANYTHING TO ME?" he glared at Goofy. "NEVER DID ANYTHING TO ME??? HE STOLE KAIRI, HE STOLE THE KEYBLADE, HE STOLE TRAVERSE TOWN, HE STOLE HALLOWEEN TOWN, HE STOLE MY FIRST GUMMI SHIP, HE STOLE MY PAOPU, HE STOLE MY VICTORY, HE STOLE MY PRIDE, HE STOLE ROSE'S VIRGINITY, AND YOU SAY HE NEVER DID ANYTHING TO ME??? YOU IGNORANT DONKEY!"  
  
"Dat's wat I tell him alla da time," said Donald. Riku turned around and glared at him, and I ran down the stairs.  
  
"Riku, calm down!" I took hold of his hands. "Please..." He relaxed, and sighed.  
  
"Okay. But only for you." I let go of him, and Sora was released.  
  
"Riku," said Sora, turning around and facing him, "I'm just here to negotiate the release of my friend Rose."  
  
Riku smirked. "She's not a prisoner. I have not done her any harm, unlike some of us. However," he said, when Sora looked at him doubtfully, "if you want to ask her who she'd rather stay with, myself or you, ask away."  
  
"I think I will." Sora looked at me. "Rose, would you rather stay here with Riku, who will keep you prisoner, or would you rather come with me and be free?"  
  
"I'm staying right where I am, thank you very much. But I think you may need to be tested... I think you're a pathological liar. With Riku, I have clothes and a bed and can roam anywhere I want to, and I have protection," I touched the black pendant.   
  
Sora looked at Riku, malice in his eyes. "You've brainwashed her!"  
  
    "He hasn't." I was about to explode again. "All he's done since he found me in that alley is take care of me and love me! I know where I am, who you are, and what you've done to me. Face it, Sora. You made a mistake, a huge mistake. You may have wanted me to love you, but I can't. I can't love people who did to me what you did. I'm sorry, Sora, but no." By this time, I was shaking, and my hair was threatening to break out of it's brushed together bonds.   
  
    "Go away," said Riku, gazing at them while moving closer to me. "I will not have you distress her anymore. The heartless can show you the way out." He snapped his fingers, and the black creatures began to advance on the three. As the three began to fight, Riku led me upstairs to my room.   
  
Once we were locked inside, we collapsed on the bed.   
  
"You know that Sora's going to fight his way up here..." I said, absentmindedly playing with his hair, which had spread out when he had laid down.   
  
"Yeah... I know it."   
  
"What should we do?"  
  
"Wait for them."  
  
"Wha-- wait?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm a lot more powerful than he is. And you have guns as well."  
  
"I can't win against him. You know that."  
  
"I know. But they match your dress."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So it makes for good appearances stuff."  
  
"Erm?"  
  
He laughed. "It doesn't matter."  
  
"Sure it doesn't."  
  
Riku stood up and then lifted me onto my feet. "Well, I'm not quite sure why you have those... but I'm sure that whoever is controlling all of this nonsense has a reason."  
  
"They may... You know I don't know much about any of this."  
  
"Yeah... I know it. You wanna see what they're doing?"  
  
"Uh... sure. How?"  
  
"Over here." Walking over to the dresser, he pressed a button hidden in the mirror's woodwork. On the mirror appeared the three... fighters, I suppose is what I should call them. "They're almost here."  
  
"Okay then... so they'll try and fight us?"  
  
"Yeah. Um... he may send his pets after you."  
  
I laughed. "I think I can handle them. If they're not as powerful as he is..."  
  
"Of course they're not, silly. The greedy little bastard takes all the Power-Ups for himself. The duck fights with a staff and the cow fights with a shield."  
  
"DON'T CALL GOOFY A COW!" This particular shout came from the door way.  
  
"Ah... welcome," said Riku, ever the gracious host.   
  
"Now I will take back Rose! You will torture her no longer!"  
  
Riku raised a silver eyebrow. "Torture her?"  
  
"I don't know what you've been doing to her, but YOU WILL PAY!!! Donald, Goofy, the only way to release her from his spell is to make her pass out! I'll take care of Riku!"  
  
The three... er... 'people' ran at us. Riku and I didn't move, until he pulled out his keyblade to block Sora's attack. I didn't have to block anything, however. The black crystal did all of that for me. So, I pulled out my guns, and began to attack the two animals with ice bullets. Every time I hit them they called out things like "We'll free you, Rose!" and "Don't worry, we're here!" What a bunch of dumbutts. I had them both out within five minutes.   
  
Looking over at Riku, I saw that he had Sora down, too. Down enough so he couldn't fight back, anyway. However, he still had energy to speak.   
  
"Don't fool yourself, Riku. She is an outsider... not part of any of our worlds... you know what you should do."   
  
Riku looked disturbed for a moment, but then he shook his head. "I know what I should do to you. In fact..." he waved me over. "Rose, would you like to kill him yourself?"   
  
I thought for a moment, then said, "No, Riku."  
  
They both looked taken aback. "What?"  
  
"There are things worse than death..."  
  
Riku smiled. "Yes there are. But what do you propose we do now?"  
  
"I say we let them go. But they won't come hunting us again, will you, Sora?"  
  
"I..." Sora began, "I will continue on my quest to unlock the keyholes... but should I encounter the two of you on the way... I WILL FIGHT!" He looked determined.  
  
"Uh... shut up," I said, rolling my eyes.   
  
"We don't want your heroism here," said Riku. "Now leave, or _I_ will kill you."  
  
Sora gave his friends potions and they ran out of there, although I   
got the feeling they didn't want to.  
  
Laying my head on his shoulder I said, "I don't like him either. But what was that he said about what you should do?"  
  
"Um... nothing..." I ran my hand down his toned chest, and he caught it in his.   
  
"Hmm... some day I will know, won't I?"  
  
"Someday..."  
  
We stood there and stared at the open doorway for a few minutes, me wondering about him, and him thinking about... whatever he should do...   
  
He turned to me, holding both my hands, and asked, "Rose?" This was his 'I'm an unsure fifteen year old boy asking a girl out to dinner' voice.   
  
"Yes?" I replied smiling.  
  
"Do you want to go walk around some... and then go eat dinner... and then..." his voice kind of faded out, and he looked at me, a little blush in his cheeks.  
  
"Yes... I would love that..." I said, stepping closer. He wrapped his arms around me, and I laid my head on him.   
  
We stood there for a few seconds, and finally broke apart. "Um..."   
he said, looking to be a little nervous. "Would you like to change?"  
  
"Um..." I looked down at my wrinkled dress. "Yeah... That would be nice."  
  
I found myself back in my room, alone, of course. Opening up the wardrobe, I found a black skirt and a deep-blue baby-doll t-shirt, with black sandals. I slipped these on, ran a brush through my hair, and there was a prompt knock at my door.   
  
Upon opening it, I saw Riku, dressed in black pants and a black shirt.   
  
"Hey," I said, with a little smile playing on my lips.  
  
Apparently regaining confidence, he smiled back and lightly kissed me. "Erm... should we start at the front door?"  
  
"That would be great!" I said, smiling up into his eyes. As soon as I said this, everything turned to the purple-black that I had guessed was the darkness that was so often spoken of. When I could see again, we were standing before a gigantic black door that shined with a symbol... like a heart with an X through it.   
  
"That," he said, indicating the symbol, "is the Heartless crest. You'll see it on almost every one of the creatures." (There were many of these creatures hiding out in the trees, I could see their yellow eyes glowing at me.)  
  
With a wave of his hand, the door opened, and I saw a few heartless scurry away. One, however, could not fit anywhere, as it seemed to be a gigantic heartless balloon. Waving his hand again, (this made the heartless disappear), Riku said, "Those are large body heartless."  
  
Smiling, I replied, "Yeah... I wonder why?" We both laughed at this, and he led me to a little gray door off to the side.   
  
"Guess what's in here?" he asked me, a mischievous glint in his eye.  
  
"Um..." I said, surveying the tiny door. "A broom closet?"  
  
"No, silly." he opened the door. "It's a library..."  
  
"Oh my god..." It was the library of any bookworm's dreams. Something I would kill to have. (I may not like school, but that doesn't mean that I don't like to read!) I walked inside, wandering between the bookshelves. "Whoa..." There must have been a thousand rows of books in that room. Some were very, very old volumes of literature, while others looked unread. One wall of the room was all windows, and they looked out onto an ocean that shone with a red sunset. Here, standing on an ebony rug, were several black leather cushy armchairs with footstools, and a couch with a black chenille throw and pillows. Beside each of the chairs and on either side of the couch stood glass tables on black iron bases, and on each of these tables was some form of decorative... thing. Reaching out to touch one, I found that it was chocolate! And not just some Hershey's stuff, this was real, hand-made-with-care chocolate. It was wonderful, and made my taste buds dance. I could easily see myself curled up on one of the chairs, or laying on the sofa with Riku, eating chocolate and reading by the sea. I turned and looked out the windows, admiring the sky's last green and purple hues.   
  
"Do you like it?" Riku was standing next to me, his arm around my waist, gazing at me with those bright aqua eyes that, in the past week, I had come to love.   
  
"It's... gorgeous..." I leaned on him, breathing in his scent.   
  
We paused for a moment, waiting for the sun to set.   
  
"Would you like something to eat?" he asked, once the sun was nearly gone. (The room was lit now with bright light that seemed to come from the ceiling, though the thing was so high up I couldn't be sure.)  
  
"Yeah," I said, and I meant it. The last time I had eaten was the   
dinner back on the gummi ship.   
  
"C'umon, we've got dinner waiting for us upstairs." He led me out of the library, this time through a different door. (It was clear that this was the intended front entrance, as it boasted a door made of silver with sapphire accents.) Up the stairs and down a long hallway was another door, this one made of black ebony with ivory accents. The prominent shape on the door was the heartless crest, but that of course was all over the place in this house.   
  
He opened the door to a long dining room, a single candelabra sitting in between the two places set. It was dark, but I didn't care. Somehow, I didn't care... maybe it was the crystal, or just the, I dunno how to describe it... maybe... _type _ of darkness. It was odd.  
  
"This way," he said, leading me towards the chair next to his (his was at the head of the table). Ever the gentleman, he pulled the chair out for me, and pushed me back in. I smiled, and failed to suppress a giggle. I saw him smile as he sat himself down, and then in a second we were both laughing.   
  
"How... [laugh] did you... [laugh laugh]... do... [laugh] that? [laugh]" Riku said, as soon as he got some of his breath back.   
  
Still laughing, I said, "I didn't do that, silly! [laugh] It was [laugh laugh] you!" As soon as our giggles subsided, we began to eat. I lifted the silver cutlery with care, as it was heavy. On the table, there was rosemary chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, green beans, three types of bread, and more than one type of cheese. Riku poured us both a glass of white wine.   
  
There was little conversation, although I knew we were both sneaking glances at each other when we thought the other wasn't looking. Finally, we both had finished what we wanted to eat and our wine. The clock on the roof chimed ten times, echoing in the silence of the hall.   
  
"I..." he began, somewhat hesitantly, but seemed to gain confidence, "I... I can't tell you how wonderful it is not to have to sit here alone..."   
  
"I can imagine so..." I said, thinking what it would be like to be him.  
  
"I'm afraid I get rather lonely sometimes. But now you're here..."  
  
"And I'll be here until you kill me, or worse, banish me."  
  
At these words, he grinned at me. "Oh yes, I will kill you!" he said, still smiling, while standing up.   
  
"Ha ha Riku!" I, too, jumped up, ready to run from him. But, before I could move, he had his arms around my waist, restraining me.  
  
"Got you!!!" he said, as I struggled to escape.  
  
"Riku!!!" We were both laughing. Somehow, I escaped, and dashed for the entrance. He must have let me run, because I know he could have caught me if he wanted to. I ran and ran, finally reaching a wall of large, french doors that led out to a balcony. I ran out, closing them behind me. I rested of a second, out of breath and panting.   
  
Looking out into the distance, I could see what I thought was the ocean, but in front of it... there were gigantic ones, with gleaming yellow eyes and heart shapes cut out of the middle. Luckily, they were facing outwards, not looking at me. But I was still afraid, especially when I glanced down and saw millions of the yellow eyes. These were doubtlessly the smaller heartless that had attacked me earlier that day. Farther out in the distance, I thought I saw larger shadows, at least fifty times as tall as me. I shuddered, and clutched at the pendant that was around my neck, and, upon finding it, turned and decided to go back inside. But before I could take a step forward, I collided with a yellow shirt.  
  
"Got you," whispered a voice in my ear, as strong arms wrapped around my waist.   
  
"Darn it..." I said, relaxing.   
  
He laughed and was about to kiss me, but a whining noise came from behind us. "Heartless," he whispered in my ear, before turning around to face the creature. It was large, floating, and had a long blue   
sword in its hand.  
  
"Holy crap..." I said, and moved closer to Riku.  
  
"It's fine... it won't hurt you," he said to me, and made a few hand gestures at the heartless. It groaned again, and disappeared in a flash of black and purple.  
  
"What...?" I inquired, my curiosity was sparked.   
  
"Bad news... but nothing you need to worry about."  
  
Somehow I knew he was not telling the truth. And I wanted to know why, but left it for tonight. It was then I first began to feel the pull.   
  
I was at _Isola Del Cielo_ for what I thought was months, but I couldn't tell, because time didn't make any difference in Riku's house. For some reason, he wouldn't take me off the island, but I was happy. He was away on "business" for maybe an hour or two a day, and always returned to me, at his house. We grew closer each day, finding out more and more about each other.   
  
One day, however, was different. He didn't go out that day, instead staying at home (yes, home... it was more than just a place to live now), locked in his room. When I knocked at the door, he didn't answer, so I went and wandered around, thinking to go and get some chocolate in the library then settling down to finish _Hamlet_. But I found that the library door, too, was locked. _What is going on?_ I turned around and found myself in my room, three black leather suitcases on the bed, and several other black leather bags in the bathroom. But, best of all, Riku was there.   
  
"Riku! What's going on?" I asked, stepping towards him.   
  
"Pack!" He said this with such ferocity that I jumped back a few paces, fear in my eyes. "Sorry..." His voice was much softer now, but he continued with and urgent tone. "You need to pack everything in this room except for the bed covers. We're leaving. I'll explain why while you work."  
  
I ran to the wardrobes and began to pull out dresses and shirts, pants and underwear, shoes, pantyhose, and socks. I folded and organized it all in the suitcases, then headed to the bathroom to do the same with my toiletries, all while Riku talked.  
  
"Do you remember when you first came here and I talked to a   
heartless?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Well, it said that we needed to leave. And we should have left then, it would be easier... But never mind that. This world is being transformed. For some reason, my master has selected this to be what he calls "The End of the World." He's going to use it to destroy the Keyblade Master."  
  
Oh no. "What will become of this place?"  
  
"It will all be destroyed. All of it, except for what we can fit in suitcases."  
  
There was no way the entire library could fit into my suitcases. Anyway... the door was locked. I paused to mourn the loss of all the great and small novels that would be lost.   
  
I felt a hand on my back. "Don't worry, Rose. We have a house in Traverse Town, in the Second District. It, needless to say, is much smaller, only one bedroom... but we'll manage." He smiled.   
  
I finished packing and we boarded the gummi ship. I noticed that he had just as many suitcases as I did stuffed into the storage compartment. Thankfully there was enough space for my stuff. In my arms I carried a white kitty that Riku had given me at our one-month anniversary at _Isola Del Cielo_. I had named her Annie, and tied a blue ribbon around her neck. She mewed when the ship started up, but soon settled down in my lap to sleep.   
  
Riku was rather agitated, I could tell by the way his hands maneuvered the controls with quick motions. He wouldn't even look at me, but what could I do about it? I kinda wished he would talk to me, or something, but, before I could say anything, we entered a warp hole and were at Traverse Town. When we disembarked at the gates and began to unload, I decided to try and start a conversation.  
  
"Riku–" but he was ahead of me.  
  
"Rose–"   
  
"Yes?" I said, pretending I hadn't said anything.  
  
"I– well... never mind... I'll tell you later. The house is this way." And, without another glance, he quickly walked up the stairs and towards the doors of the Second District.   
  
When we got to the house and had finished unpacking, he began again.  
  
"Rose... I'm so sorry... I know how much you loved _Isola_–"  
  
"It's fine," I said, smiling. "We're here, we're safe–"  
  
"Not forever, we're not safe. Kairi lives here. We'll need to keep away from the areas that Sora goes to. He could... he would... again. And I don't want that to happen again."   
  
I walked up and caressed his face. "It won't, I won't let it." I shuddered, remembering, not for the last time, that horrible feeling, that cold touch...  
  
Sensing my disturbed mind, Riku gave me a warm hug and kissed the top of my head. "Let's not think about this anymore. This place is drab and unused, there's a decorating store in the First District. I–I'll be gone more than usual, it's getting closer–"  
  
"What's 'it'? Please tell me..." I looked up at him, pleading to know the secret he'd kept for so long.  
  
He looked at me, and I could swear I could see tears in his eyes, but he blinked twice and they were gone. "I suppose... I should tell you..."  
  
"Please... " I ran my fingers through his hair.  
  
"It... is when... the door opens. When you have to go back to your world, when I blindfold myself for as long as it takes for whatever is supposed to happen happens."  
  
"But that means... God... I don't wanna think about it..."  
  
"I will find you again, I promise." he looked at me again, a sad smile on his face, and ran his fingers down my face, ending at my chin, and we kissed, again, and again... each time hungrier and more desperate, deeper and deeper, our tears blending, our hands going every where. I couldn't let him go.   
  
"I love you..."  
  
When we finally stopped for breath, we were laying on the sofa, both with tears still running down our faces. Not a word was said for the rest of the night, we laid there, his back in the cushions, my face on his chest, our hands still grasping each other. Sleep finally came, each of us lulled to unconsciousness by the others steady breath.   
When I awoke the next morning, I was alone, covered by the black coverlet that I knew Riku had in his room at _Isola Del Cielo_. Pinned to the corner was a note.   
_  
Rose,  
I must leave... I don't know when I'll be back...   
But I'll return. I promise.  
I love you.  
Riku   
_  
"He'll come back..." I whispered to the coverlet, breathing in his scent.   
  
But I knew I couldn't lay there all day. I stood up and walked to the kitchen, and noticed half of one of the yellow star-shaped fruit. _Paopu. _I smiled, now knowing it's meaning, and finished it off. It was then I decided to explore the house, and fix it so it was livable. I began in the   
bedroom.  
  
I noticed that there was a king sized bed in there (it was not a small bedroom), and that we didn't have a king sized coverlet, or any other decorating essentials. I remembered what Riku had said about the decor shop in the First District. When I had finished, I had a black-and-blue themed room, iridescent black and blue for the coverlet, black and blue pillows, black furniture, a sofa with black velvet, a luxury kitten bed in the corner. I would not be sleeping alone, the bed was too large for that. (One does not have to do anything with the other person in the bed.)   
  
By the time I was finished, I was exhausted. So I went to my closet and pulled out my black nightgown, just plain silk that swept the floor, climbed into bed, and went to sleep hugging a pillow. I spent the next week or more finishing the house, not seeing a glimpse of the one that I love. I still wore my crystal necklace.  
  
One day, when I was out for a walk, a sudden grasp trapped me from behind. But they were not his hands.  
  
"Sora," I breathed, anger filling me. I forced my self out of his grasp and my guns appeared in my hands.  
  
"Rose," He said, smiling. "What are you doing in Traverse Town? Has Riku finally let you go? Or has the pull become too much? You feel it, don't you?"  
  
I shook my head. "He never trapped me in the first place. I chose to go with him. And I don't know what pull you're talking about. So shut up." I turned off the safety on my guns, and aimed at his throat. Truth was, I could feel a pull, a soft tugging at my heart.  
  
"Wait!" he said, holding his arms up. "Wait! I was just going to ask you a question!"  
  
"What is it?" I whispered, the guns held steady.  
  
"Have you seen Riku?"  
  
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused, my guns lowering.  
  
"I need to talk to him before I go to the End."  
  
I shook my head, trying to hold back tears at the mention of the "End," as Sora put it. I had pushed all thoughts of it out of my head. "He... he's been gone for the past week... I haven't seen him since the night we arrived in Traverse Town."  
  
"What?" he mouthed. I just nodded and let a tear fall down.  
  
"I do know what I'm going to have to do..."  
  
"We can get to your world, you know."  
  
I looked up at him. "You will have to kill him. So how is he going to   
get to me?"  
  
"Rose..." he reached out a comforting hand.   
  
"No! DON'T TOUCH ME!" I turned and fled back home, tears freely falling. When I finally reached the door, I fumbled with the lock and let myself in, collapsing face down on the sofa that was still in the living room, with Riku's coverlet still on it. "Don't touch me... don't... don't..."  
  
"Rose... don't cry..." a familiar hand stroked my hair.   
  
I slowly turned over when I heard that voice. "Riku?"  
  
He smiled, "Don't cry anymore."  
  
"Riku!" I stood up to face him, and threw myself around him. "You're back... you're back... "  
  
"Yes. And there's hope for us."  
  
"Hope?" I asked, looking up at him curiously.  
  
"Yes. That and much more."  
  
"Riku, I love you so much!" I gave him a kiss, and he grasped the back of my head, pulling it deeper. I loved the feel of his lips on mine, his tongue in my mouth, his hands on me, the salty sea smell that had always been him.  
  
"I love you too..." he said, when we stopped to breathe.   
  
"I missed you so much..."  
  
"Now, show me what you've done with this drab house."  
  
"Oh, not much... just enough to keep myself occupied."  
  
"Wow..." he said, as I showed him around. Then, "This is quite the bedroom. But I notice there's a gigantic bed in here. What's that supposed to mean?" he asked playfully, smiling at me.  
  
"Oh, nothing," I said innocently.  
  
"I suppose I should resist the urge."  
  
I smiled and said, "For now. I've got dinner cooking in the stew pot, and bread baking in the oven. It should all be ready soon."  
  
"You're so wonderful."  
  
"Not really... just bored."  
  
He laughed. "I'm sorry I've been gone so long. It took me a while to convince my master's master to help me."  
  
"Huh?"   
  
"Never mind." His stomach growled.   
  
"Hee hee... silly boy, come eat your dinner!"  
  
Later, after we finished, we stepped out on the balcony that connected to the roof of the Gizmo Shop, and the topic was somehow brought up about the sleeping arrangements.  
  
"So... Rose... do you want me to sleep in the bed with you?"  
  
"Of course. But you can't get _too_ naughty."  
  
He laughed at this. "Me? I would never!"  
  
"Yes you would!" I couldn't keep myself from laughing. "And I wouldn't wanna stop you!"  
  
He suddenly became serious again. "Then why not..."  
  
"Because... well..." I sighed. "I don't know... It's just... "  
  
He smiled and pulled me closer to him (I'll have you know I happily obliged). "I understand... We're only fifteen, after all..."  
  
I leaned up against him, and we stood and gazed at the sky. "It's always night time here..."  
  
"Yeah... It's weird how we know when it's time to sleep, isn't it?"  
  
"And you can watch as the stars twinkle any time of the day. It's beautiful..."  
  
The next thing I knew, we were standing in our bedroom, holding each other an arm's length apart.   
  
"So you don't want me to..."  
  
"Yes I do... but we can't."  
  
"But can we..."  
  
"Yes." I knew what would happen the next day.   
  
We slept in the next morning, and awoke entwined with each other.   
  
"Good morning," He said when I woke up.   
  
"Morning... " I yawned, snuggling in closer to his warmth.   
  
"Rose... You know what has to happen today..."  
  
"We'll leave at ten thirty this evening," I said, looking in his eyes. "Is that okay?"  
  
"It most certainly is... "   
  
"Now... come here..." I pulled him down under the sheets and   
kissed him like it would be the last time. Fifteen minutes later, we fell off the bed onto the floor, putting a halt to our mouths.  
  
"Rose..."  
  
"Yeah... I know."  
  
"Then go on. You go first."  
  
I sighed. "I guess this is something we have to do alone..."  
  
"We could... But it would be hard to hold back..."  
  
"Yeah... It must have been hard last night."  
  
He looked down and blushed. "Yeah..."  
  
"It's okay," I said, stroking his silver hair.  
  
"Now go on... I'll fix up the bed."  
  
"All right..." I stood up and walked into the bathroom, and closed the door.  
  
I sighed as I let the hot water flow down my body. It felt so good...   
so cleansing... I washed away every bad thing that had happened, and, though I would never forget, it was easier to not remember.  
  
And then they came flooding into my head. All of them. All of the memories from my childhood, from my life, from my home before _Isola_. It was all too much, fifteen years of life. I feel onto my knees, trying to take it all in without screaming. _I don't want to remember this..._ When it was over, when they were back in my head, my shower was ruined.   
  
Once I had dried off and put on a bra and panties, I walked out to find Riku sitting on the couch staring out into space.  
  
"They came back, didn't they?" he asked, still not looking at me.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"They had to come back though."  
  
"I know it..." I walked over to my closet and pulled out a pair of dark blue jeans and a blue t-shirt.   
  
"Make sure you wear something that they would... approve... of."  
  
"I know..."  
  
I went and sat down next to him, leaning my head on his shoulder, his arm around me. We sat in silence for a few minutes, until I decided something.  
  
"It's our last day together for... a long time... so we need to do stuff besides moping around in the house." He looked at me, a smile playing on his lips. "Sora wanted to see you... we could walk over there."  
  
"I know he did. I talked to him, and we made a deal. It's all sealed." He smiled at me, fingering my ear.   
  
"A deal?"  
  
"It's nothing. Now... should I go take you to different worlds? There is so much you haven't seen."  
  
"Sounds fun." I smiled at him. "Do you want to go take a shower first?"   
  
"That," he said, standing up, "would be great."  
  
Later, we were in the gummi ship, Annie curled up under Riku's seat.   
  
"So," I said, "where to first?"  
  
"We head to the Deep Jungle." Riku pressed the warp drive button, and we were there.   
  
"This is so beautiful..."  
  
We had landed in a tree house surrounded by tropical flowers. It was an old place, and nature had taken over.  
  
"Do you like it?" He asked, arm around my waist.  
  
"I love it," I kissed his neck, and in response he snuck his hand up   
the back of my shirt, although he didn't go too far up.   
  
"C'umon, I have the perfect place to eat lunch." He walked out of the tree house and beckoned me to follow him. When I got out to the balcony, he smiled at me and jumped down.   
  
"RIKU!"  
  
"It's okay," he said, his voice carrying up to me. "I'll catch you."  
  
And so I took a deep breath and jumped after him. "Wheeeeeeee......"   
  
"Got ya!" I landed in his arms, and, after pecking me on the forehead, he set me down. "Now come on!" He ran quickly toward an opening in the rock wall.  
  
"Come back!!!" I chased him through the opening, a campsite, a bamboo thicket, until we got to a wall of leaves. He jumped up there and smiled when I got there. (Of course, I couldn't jump that high.)  
  
"Out of breath, are you?" He asked playfully, smiling down at me.  
  
"I wouldn't be if you didn't run so fast!" I said. "How did you get up there?"  
  
"I jumped," he said simply. "What, do you want to come see me?"  
  
"Hell yeah."  
  
"All right then." He moved his fingers up and towards him, and my body followed. When I was finally close enough to land a kiss on his lips or slap him across the face, (I wasn't sure what I wanted to do), he was off again, running into a tunnel that led to who knows where.   
  
"GET BACK HERE!" I yelled, running after him.  
  
I got through the tunnel only to see he was at the top of the waterfall. "Come on up," he said, and I found myself flying up to him.  
  
"Stay... here..." I panted, grabbing onto his shirt so he couldn't run.   
  
"I won't run anymore," he said, and he laid out a soft blue blanket for us to sit on while we ate.   
  
"Whoa..." I said, when I finally had enough wits to look around.   
  
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he said, leaning back against the damp rocks.  
  
We were behind a waterfall, and the waterfall was so clear that one could see the jungle through the water. It looked like a giant stained glass window.   
  
"It is..." I sat down next to him, and the rock was cool and smooth, worn away by centuries of water cascading down its surface.   
  
I reached over and pulled out two chicken salad sandwiches, two water glasses, and two chocolate chip cookies. Handing Riku the two glasses, I said, "Go on and fill them up," then went about setting everything up.   
  
"This looks wonderful!" he said when he came back.   
  
"Doesn't it?" I asked, picking up my sandwich.  
  
We ate our food in semi-silence, thinking how this would be our last meal together for a long time.   
  
"Rose..." he said, when we were on our cookies. "We can't keep this up, like you said this morning..."  
  
I smiled sadly at him, replying, "I know... it's just... when you try not to think about something, you think about it, you know?"  
  
"Yeah... yeah I know..."  
  
"Hmmm... let's think of something."  
  
"Umm... how about a swim?"  
  
"We don't have swimsuits... and we can't swim with clothes on..."  
  
He was staring straight ahead now, his 'I'm being perverted' smile on his face. "Who said anything about clothes?"   
  
"Nobody... but..." I gasped as I _finally_ realized what he was saying.   
  
"I wouldn't do anything in the water."  
  
"Umm... oh, what the heck. Let's do it." My heart was beating against my ribcage the entire time.   
  
"Oh yeah!" he said, punching the air.   
  
"You are so perverted," I said, pulling off my shirt.   
  
"Hey, I'm a guy," he said, as if it was an excuse.  
  
"Shut up," I said, then, in just my bra and panties, I ran down to the lake. I unhooked my bra and pulled off my panties, then jumped into the water. It was warm, just the right temperature. "Come on!" I yelled, waving at him. When he got to the lake, he stripped off his boxers and jumped in. That day was the best in my life.   
  
Later, when we were laying out on the beach to dry, watching the   
sunset, he said, "We don't have much time left..."  
  
"I know..." I cuddled closer to him, savoring the feel of our bare flesh touching. I reached up and stroked his gorgeous hair, and he, for the last time, pulled me up in his arms and stroked mine, and we kissed again, a sweet, deep kiss, something soft and long and desperate, something I would remember for a long time. When it was dark and we couldn't see anything but the small candle that we had lit earlier, we stood up, brushed the sand off, and dressed ourselves.   
  
"Well... let's go..." We boarded the gummi ship, and began the ride back to my world. He set the ship on auto pilot, as we were both feeling the pull. He was needed at the "end," I was so close to my home world it seemed to be pulling me in.   
  
"Riku... it hurts..." I said, clutching at my heart.   
  
"We're close... I know... I'm going to let you off an hour before you passed out. So that we don't have to deal with anything."  
  
"Thanks..." before I had woken up in Traverse Town so many months ago, I had passed out in a fist fight against three guys twice my size. "I'll remember to avoid that alley..."  
  
We sat in silence for a few more minutes, until I broke it. "Riku... I am going to miss you so much..." I was fighting to keep the tears back.  
  
"I don't want to let you go..." His arms encircled me, and I wet his shirt with my tears.   
  
"Ahh!" I screamed, falling to my knees, clutching at where the pull   
felt the worst. "I'm sorry..."  
  
"It's not your fault," he said, kneeling down next to me, letting me lean on his strong body. "We're here..." I felt my self dematerializing, turning into dust that would reform down on the world's land. "I'll come back for you. I love you, Rose..."  
  
"I love you..." And then I was back "home."  
  
So that's the end of it. Sad sap, I know it. But I'll do a sequel. I promise. promises All I have to do is defeat Kingdom Hearts II, then I'll start writing. (So, for everyone who's a gigantic fan or whatever, just be patient. It'll be another year or more.) Review if you want, but I don't think I'm gonna change anything. Please don't flame, but I can't stop you can I?   
  
Thanks to:  
Riku: for being the sexiest guy in any video game   
my sis, darkygurl11: for killing me when I tried to write and holding your authour's whip above my head the entire time  
Squaresoft ('cause that's what you were called when you made KH): for making KH  
My Poodle Lucy: for stinking up the entire house


	2. Preview

Alrighty. I've changed a few things, made it a year after the last one (a year after the first Kingdom Hearts), so that I can write at least a little bit of a sequel thingy. It drives me crazy as much as it drives you people crazy, so don't complain! And I'm not short on ideas, either. I just want to make sure Riku's still with the darkness in KH2, cause Mickey M. was shut behind the door with him at the end, remember? So in this, I'll just assume that he is still with the dark side-thing, and yes. It will change if that is not the case in the next game. Um... I'll shut up now. I still don't own Kingdom Hearts, but whatever.  
  
Hey, sweet.  
  
What do you want? I pushed him away from me, but he smiled.  
  
Just a little kiss.  
  
  
  
Why ever not? He moved his hands as if to grasp me around the waist.  
  
_Because _you're a bastard.  
  
Oh, you can't mean that.  
  
But I do.  
  
He laughed. You are quite the comedian, sweet.  
  
I am not _your_ sweet.  
  
You are, he whispered in my ear. Now, what about–  
  
No. Go away.  
  
Not until you give me that kiss. He was so close that I couldn't get away. Unbidden, memories of another time came back to me, the feeling of a touch from a nightmare.  
  
Jason you IDIOT! There was a flash of shimmering black, and he was lying on the ground, unconscious. I suppose you probably deserve it... I kicked at his limp form. Just don't do it again. Sighing, I began the slow trek back to my house.  
  
When I got to the end of the driveway, I spotted my white cat, Annie, wandering towards me. She was one year old now, and wore a brand-new blue ribbon around her neck that I had tied on just this morning. Her original ribbon I kept tied on the chain that held what I call the _Cristal d'Ange, _one of the few tangible reminders I had of him.  
  
Hey, baby. I picked her up and she mewed, turning her soft eyes up towards the garage. I avoided the front door, as the house was too large for my liking. In the past year my father had struck it rich, and when had moved out of the ghetto and into an upper-middle class neighborhood. I had turned the empty garage into my own private haven, with a deep red rug, a red sofa and love seat, and a small refrigerator/freezer to keep drinks in. It was my place, no one else was allowed in. I kept Annie here, in a little basket I had found lying around on the street before we left. I had my own room upstairs, and that of course was where I normally slept, but this was the closest to a that I'd ever get to. Setting Annie and by backpack down on the sofa, I went inside the house to get something to eat.  
  
Hi, Mom.  
  
Hello, Rose! How was school?  
  
Um... it was fine. Do we have anymore of that cold chicken left? I searched the large refrigerator.  
  
Oops, sorry dear. I forgot to buy more today.  
  
I sighed. All right, whatever. I'm gonna go do my homework now.  
  
Have fun!  
  
I whispered under my breath.  
  
Back in the garage, I laid down on the sofa, and Annie came and settled down on my stomach.  
  
Do you remember him, baby?  
  
  
  
His hair was so beautiful... long and slivery... but not white, and the softest thing I've ever laid my hands on.  
  
she purred when I began to stroke her fur.  
  
And his eyes... I could get lost forever... do you remember... I yawned, and was asleep.  
  
_Wake up, Rose.  
  
  
  
A familiar hand brushed against the face. A hand that had brushed hair away from that same face on a gummi ship... but it seemed like ages ago...  
  
Come on,Rose... He lifted the tired female up from her nest. Breakfast time.  
  
All right... whoa! He kept her from falling over onto the floor. Sorry. Morning stumbles.  
  
Laughing, he said, It's fine. I get them too.  
  
She laughed, and reached up and brushed her fingers across his lips. He nibbled at them, and said gently, Go on, get dressed. I'll be waiting.  
  
He left, and she put on the customary skirt and shirt, and walked to the breakfast room.  
  
You're beautiful, he said, brushing his lips against hers.  
  
Not really, she said, sitting down in the customary chair.  
  
Do you remember...  
  
_  
  
_Of course I do...  
  
_  
  
_She laughed._  
  
Here... give this to her for me, Annie.  
  
_Riku...  
_  
I was awake suddenly. I thought I had felt a hand brush some hair away, his hand... I shook my head. No. That was the stuff of dreams. But it had been so long... maybe...  
  
  
  
Whatcha got there, Annie? I saw the handwriting on the outside envelope, and grabbed it so quickly I almost gave my kitty a toothache. Is it... real?  
  
_Rose  
_  
It was his hand.  
  
The little flower after the ... that was his symbol for me.  
  
It was the same paper that he kept with him at all times... and the same red ink.  
  
I carefully tore open the top of the delicate paper, holding it as if it was a holy object.  
  
_Rose,  
I'm sorry I can't speak to you in person right now... but you'll see me soon enough. Wait for me to say the first word. We're in your world now... the world in between. I'll spend most of my time downtown... but I'll need you there. I miss you. I love you.  
Riku  
  
_ I kissed the paper, remembering the hands that had touched this paper. His hands. In their black leather gloves, the hands that I had kissed too many times to count, the hands I remembered even more times than I had kissed them.  
  
The next day, I was sitting with my friend Cat at lunch, and she was talking about some new kid who was supposedly really hot...  
  
I wish I knew his name! He's got the most _beautiful_, muscled chest I've ever seen, and his arms... they're like he grew up on an island building boats!  
  
What put that in your head?  
  
I heard he smells like the ocean.  
  
No kidding?  
  
Yeah. And he's wearing all black, with some weird emblem like thing on it.  
  
What's it look like?  
  
I heard it was a heart-shaped thing, with an X through the center. Deep blue.  
  
  
  
He seems a lot like your dream guy, hun.  
  
My mind was on Riku.  
  
That silver hair, I know what you mean now when you say it. I mean, I always thought of it as an old man's hair... but this guy... I mean wow...  
  
You mean he has silver hair?   
  
Yeah... rather long, too. And these eyes... they're–  
  
Clear aqua blue?  
  
Um... yeah. Hey! Do you know him?  
  
She had my attention now, and she knew it.   
  
You _do _know him! Oh my god, are you two like secret lovers or something?  
  
I never said I knew him.  
  
But you do. Look, there he is, she pointed to someone behind me. I turned around, and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me again.   
  
My god...  
  
  
  
I ignored her, though, and stood up. He looked over at me and smiled his smile, subtle, but still there. _Riku..._ He put a finger to his lips, and I remembered what was in the note. _Wait for me to say the first word. _I smiled back, and we both turned around and sat down at the table. However, while he went back to casually chatting with some other guys, I just sat there and stared at the table, smiling, my heart beating faster than it was when we were in the lake... after a different lunch...  
  
You know him.  
  
I nodded.  
  
Oh my god!  
  
Smiling, I said, Don't tell anyone, though. It's a secret.  
  
Her eyes grew wider. A secret?  
  
I looked at her. You're the only one that knows. No telling! Sister bond.  
  
Sister bond. But oh my god you know him!  
  
Quit saying that.  
  
He's the hottest guy here. Lucky.  
  
I never said we were lovers.  
  
But your smile did.  
  
Shut up. I couldn't stop smiling.  
  
I am so jealous!  
  
Sister bond, I reminded her, and the bell rang to report to class.  
  
I sat through chemistry, geography, french, and gym, with only one thing, one person on my mind. Once I passed him in the hallway, and he ran his finger along my arm as he passed. _Every_ time I passed Cat, she gave me that little secret smile of hers that drove me crazy.  
  
After the final bell rang, I waited until the hall was clear, then headed to my locker, opened it, packed up my stuff, but didn't get to close it. A different hand pushed it shut. I didn't turn to face the person it belonged to.  
  
Hello, sweet.  
  
Jason, I'm not in the mood for you right now.  
  
But I never got that kiss yesterday.  
  
Because you're a bastard.  
  
But I can still kiss you.  
  
Go away.  
  
  
  
Go away!  
  
He forced me to turn around. You can't avoid me now.  
  
Before he was able to get close enough, however, another voice split the air.  
  
Get away from my girl. Jason slowly turned around, moving out from in front of me. It was exactly who I hoped it was.  
  
Is she your girl? He smirked, looking at Riku. New kid.  
  
Smirking back, Riku said, You're more of a new kid than I ever was.  
  
Are you asking for a fight? All I want is a simple kiss.  
  
You're not gonna get it from her.  
  
Apparently, Jason had had enough. He threw a punch at Riku's nose, but missed. Riku reappeared next to me.   
  
Get away from Rose, new kid.  
  
She'd push me away if she didn't want me here.  
  
You talk to much, fucker.  
  
Watch your mouth, there's a lady present. I couldn't help but giggle, because I can be one of the most unladylike ladies you've ever met.  
  
I dare you to fight me, new kid. Jason was the strongest student in the school, and no one dared to fight him physically. It would hurt too much.  
  
Any time you want.  
  
Jason was taken aback by Riku's boldness, and decided the best strategy was to leave. I've got to get going, don't know why I even wasted my time with you. He reached over to grab my wrist, but Riku was quicker.  
  
You won't take her, he snarled, eyes turning crimson, keyblade out. One usually doesn't wanna be on the receiving end of the blow that followed those eyes.  
  
The bully couldn't believe what was happening, so he just ran away. Riku turned back to normal.  
  
  
  
I wrapped my arms around his neck, his went around my waist, and our lips met.  
  
Rose... whoa... he ran his eyes up and down my body, and I blushed a little.  
  
I... I guess my style's changed?  
  
  
  
Well... I can't wear the clothes I like. My mom just goes out and buys stuff, and I have to wear it.  
  
It doesn't suit you.  
  
I know. It's irritating, but, well...   
  
I understand. It's okay... I've got the rest of your clothes in my apartment.  
  
My face lit up, and I thre my arms around his neck. Really? Riku, I love you!   
  
Would you like to come see?  
  
Well... um... where is it?  
  
Not in a place your parents would approve of.  
  
That settles it, then! Let's go!  
  
But, before we could leave, a voice sounded from behind me. When I turned around, I saw that it was Cat, looking at us, a little smile on her face.  
  
Yeah? By the way, Cat, this is Riku, Riku, meet Cat.  
  
Hey Riku. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to borrow Rose for just a teeny bit, she said, smiling.   
  
he looked at me.   
  
  
  
He laughed. Rose, you have some very persistent friends. Go on!  
  
said Cat, and she led me around the corner.  
  
Rose, I've heard some rumors. Great. She had pulled me away from Riku to gossip with me. Do you know where his apartment is?  
  
...Cat, what did you hear?  
  
It's downtown. In... she leaned over and whispered in my ear. ...that black part.  
  
I gave her a skeptical look.   
  
Rose. Listen. He's _evil_. _Evil_. Not some mischief maker.' I thought you knew where to draw the line!  
  
I sighed, and looked at the floor. It's a long, long story.  
  
And he was about to take you to his apartment! You know what he wants, don't you?  
  
Smiling, I replied, I know a hell lot more than you do.  
  
Don't evade the question! Rose, you're smarter than this. Listen to me, please... I'm just... I'm just trying to help you.  
  
I looked at her, and smiled again. I know, you're a sweetie. But... I can't tell you why I'm doing this at the moment. The walls have ears, you know.  
  
I know... alright.  
  
Let's have a sleepover tomorrow night...  
  
My house.  
  
Okay. After school?  
  
Done. Be careful, Rose.  
  
I promise. Sister bond.  
  
Sister bond.  
  
Now get back to your guy, she said, eyes smiling.  
  
You're awesome! I gave her a hug, and she went down the hallway towards the doors.  
  
I turned, and smiled.  
  
She's worried about me. You don't exactly have a perfect rep, even on the first day.  
  
Must be this weird emblem on my shirt, he laid his hand over the heartless crest, and grimaced. I need to get back. Wanna come?  
  
Of course! Our hands found each other, and he led me out the door into the bright three o'clock sunlight.  
  
Many thanks to my reviewers! I love you all! Maybe if you pester me enough I'll put up the next ten pages...


	3. Christmas Special!

I stumbled down to the breakfast room one morning, as I did everyday. I sat down, alone, as I did everyday. I poured coffee, mixed in cream, and picked up my bagel smothered with regular cream cheese, as I did everyday. There was nothing new at Isola. Nothing. Except....

"It's getting cold..." I whispered to myself, and felt comforted when Annie jumped up in my lap and cuddled against the warmth of my body. Finishing my breakfast, I climbed upstairs to change out of my spaghetti strap top into something a little more weather-appropriate.

Shuffling through the huge wardrobe that my.. I suppose I could call him boyfriend, Riku, had given me, I found a pair of thick jeans, black, and a black shirt embosed with a heartless crest, with matching heels. "Feeling a little down today, are we?" I said to myself.

Truthfully, that pull I had been feeling tugging at my heart was extremely strong this morning. I did not know what it was, but could only guess that it was something that, some part of me that, for some reason, wanted to go back to my homeworld. I wasn't quite sure why, but... well, we're off topic here.

"Good morning, Rose." I turned to see who the speaker was, although I really knew.

"Hello, Riku..." I averted my eyes from his, not wanting him to see that I was in pain inside.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" I nodded. "Here..." He touched my chest over my heart, and the pain lessened a little.

"Thanks..." I kissed him, feeling better. "You're home early." It was more of a question than a statement.

"I have been assigned the most dreadful task by the council." (The council was the group of people who he worked with... namely the villians that our enemy, Sora, was fighting to defeat).

"What is it? It can't be that bad."

"I have to hold a Christmas party in a month."

"What?" I was a bit confused, because I didn't know that they had Christmas on Isola, although that explained the weather.

"A Christmas party, a full-fledged thing. Cruella de Ville would be better suited to it, but she lives in an apartment, and everyone but myself agreed that Isola would be the best place to hold it."

I didn't quite see why he felt like this was bad news. It would give me something else to do than what I generally did when he wasn't around (which was reading and exploring the castle, among other things)

"Awesome!"

He looked at me, aghast. "Awesome?"

"If you get me what I need, I can organize it, the decorating at least..."

"Really? Rose... seriously?"

"Yes, I'm serious! I'd love to do it!" I gave him a hug. "I love decorating! It's a personal hobby, actually."

"Okay, well I'll just go and leave you with your bows or whatever it is you use to decorate..." he started to walk out of the room, but I stopped him.

"Oh no you don't. I need you to help me make a list! C'umon, we're going to my office."

Once I had sat down and pulled out a clipboard, I began. "Do you have anything already? Like, decorations."

"Umm... I think we've got some stuff in a closet somewhere..."

"Okay, well, we'll look at that later, I guess. But we need fresh-cut trees."

"Alright... how many?"

"Errr... let's see... we'll need about ten for the front balcony, five feet tall, ten more for the balconies and twenty to line the entrance hall, about seven feet tall each, and, oh yes, two for our bedrooms, maybe eight feet tall? and five foot ones for all of the other bedrooms. And, oh yes, we'll need a twenty-foot high one for the entrance hall and a thirty-foot for the main ball-slash-dining room." As I finished writing this down, he just stared.

"How many is that total?"

"About, um, seventy-four."

His eyes grew wide. "Seventy-- seventy-four?"

"Yeah."

Sitting back in his chair he closed his eyes. "What else?"

"Well, we'll need lights for all of them. And a theme."

"A theme?"

"Like, Music or Gold or something."

"How about 'A Heartless Christmas?' It's the easiest."

"Riku, dear, listen to yourself. It's a contradiction. Now, let's go look at what you've got already."

"Okay, let's go."

"Yay!"

As we were walking towards the room, he began to express his doubts. "Why are you doing all of this? Will it be too hard?"

"Well.. it'll be nice to have something to do-- ah, I mean, decorate. Yes, decorate. I love to decorate things."

"Wait, Rose. Something to do? Rose," he stopped and looked at me in that way that makes me want to melt. "Rose, you're bored here, all the time, aren't you?" I averted my eyes and concentrated on the peice of dust on the floor by his feet. Lifting my chin the way he did when he gave me my first kiss, "You should have told me earlier."

"Well, I'm fine when you're here... and you always seem so worried when you get back."

"Rose..." His eyes looked at me, concerned. I averted my eyes once more. "Rose... is there anything else?"

"No." When I looked back at him, there was a flicker of mischeviousness in my eyes. "Well, something else I want now..."

He knew what I was talking about. Smiling, he continued on. "The decorations are this way. You love to decorate things, remember?"

"I love something else even more." I jumped in front of him. "Please?"

"Mmm... alright." He lowered his lips to mine, gave me a light peck, and dissapeared.

"Riku, no good!" I complained. Getting no response, I continued on in the direction we were heading. At the end of the hallway, I found a door with dust on the handle. "Has it been that long?" I opened the door and turned on the light. When I saw what was inside, I gasped.

This was no closet. No, this was a warehouse. Miles of gold ribbon, any thickness and pattern you could dream of, two huge pyramids of white and gold lights, a shelf of cookbooks, rolls and rolls of wrapping paper, piles of tissue paper, mounds of bags, dozens of garlands, at least fourty wreaths, and ornaments... there were three rows of ornament boxes.

"Hello again, Rose," came Riku's voice from behind me. Then, without warning, he grabbed me and leaned me over, you know, the way they do in movies, and frenched me.

"Mmmmm... Riku..." I mumbled when he stopped for breath.

"Better?" he asked, righting me.

"Much." I smiled, then looked around again. "You have a _lot_ of stuff here."

"Well, my predecessors, whoever they were, liked to decorate things, as well."

"I guess so."

"Will this work?"

"Yeah... it really actually will."

"Anything else you'll need?"

"Just one more..."

He looked at me skeptically. "Honestly. What?"

"Helpers. And not heartless. I need humans, human _women_, preferably."

"Well... there are the princesses..."

"Princesses?"

"The Princesses of Heart. We've captured a few, I'm sure they could help."

"Captured?" I looked at him, surprised.

"Remember, I do work for the darkness. You accepted this when..."

"Shh..." I said, putting a finger on his lips. "I'm sorry that I mentioned it. It just took me by surprise. If they are willing -- _willing_ -- to help me, then I would love to have them here."

"I'm sure they would like to. Do I have to help, too?" He gave me his sad puppy look.

"How many Princesses are there?"

"About six, I think, excluding Kairi."

I decided to ignore the last two words, and continued, "Then, no, you don't have to help at all." I smiled. "Just get them here and find the trees, then put them up where I say, and we'll be good."

"Put the princesses where you say?"

"No, silly, put the _trees_ where I say. Would the princesses be staying with us?"

"Yes, actually. We don't like to move them around too much. They generally stay in the guest bedrooms at Hollow Bastion. Of course, they don't come into contact with anyone; even their food is --"

"Stop it, stop it! I don't want to hear anymore! Just -- just get them here tomorrow. I'll keep them under my wing."

"If you want to work with them, then you'll have to come with me to Hollow Bastion tomorrow morning and ...sign... a contract."

I suspected by his tone that this 'contract' wasn't just writing, but at the moment I didn't really care. "Okay, then. We need to make rooms for them."

"Alright. Come on, we'll go to the guest hallway and get them some rooms there."

"Okie!" I ran out of the room and stopped. "Which way?"

"Umm... long way or short way?"

"Short, I guess." When I said this, he tapped twice on a seemingly random tile on the floor with his foot. Suddenly, the entire section of the floor that we were standing on lifted up and zoomed out of the corridor and through a maze of hallways.

"Here we are," he said, jumping off then helping me off. "There are six rooms here. One for each."

"What are their names?" I asked, as I opened the first door.

"Well, there's Snow White, Jasmine, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, and Alice."

"Cool," then, upon entering the room and turning on the light, I changed my statement. "Ick! How long has it been since these rooms have been cleaned?"

This particular room seemed to have once had red furninshings (which included a canopied bed, a silk chaise lounge, and several silk colored chairs) with deep mahogany woods. However, all of these were covered by a thick layer of dust, and the furniture was covered with white sheets.

"Thank goodness for these sheets," I said, lifting one off, sneezing. "It would have been a monster to clean out all of this furniture."

Then I went to the bathroom. It all seemed in good order, although the silver accents needed some polishing, and the soap and towels needed to be replaced. The other rooms were almost exactly the same, except the color scheme was different; after the red, there was a teal, a deep blue, an iridescent blue-pink, a yellow, and a light blue. They all needed almost the exact same cleaning.

"Okay, if we want to have these rooms ready by tomorrow, then we better get going!"

"What's up with the 'we?'" Riku asked, once more trying to sneak out.

"They will be your guests, too, silly!"

"One such as me, of my rank, does not play host to prisoners like this! They're your guests, and will be here are _your_ invitation."

"Riku."

"What?"

"You're pride's getting in the way. Listen to yourself." I put my hands on his shoulders and looked at him. "This is not my Riku. I know that."

"Your Riku loves only one woman, cares for only one. Just you."

"Then help me! If you care for me that much, you help me! Please!"

"I cannot! It would ruin everything!"

"It would not! If you don't help me, then I may as well go up to the top tower and jump off. _Then_ what would you have? I need you to help me."

"You would never jump off the tower."

"I would if it would get your attention."

"Rose! Don't talk like that. I just... I can't help you. It's against the rules. Making a home for prisoners! I captured them, you know. I did all the dirty work. They hate me. How could I do this for them?"

"They hate you? Then redeem yourself." He still shook his head. "You're just being a stubborn ass! If you won't do it for them, do it for me. I can't do this alone. Riku, please..." I kissed him, long and full. "Please."

He sighed, defeated. "All right."

"If anyone gives you greif, send them to me."

Laughing, he said, "I certainly will."

"Whatever. I could take one of them on."

Laughing, he shook his head. "Let's drop the matter. What do we do first?"

"Open the curtains and the windows, let these rooms air out a little bit. Then we'll take the sheets off the furniture, take out the towels and the bedcovers and get them washed, then polish all of everything and dust. By then, the bedcovers should be done, so we can re-dress the beds and have everything ready by six tonight."

"Six? Rose, you realize it's just now noon."

"Yes, and we have six rooms to clean. We'd better get to work." He sighed, resigned, and began pulling off the furniture covers.

Much later, almost everything was done. "Rose, it's eight now -- _eight_ -- and I'm hungry. We skipped lunch!"

"I know I know... one more pillow to fluff... okay. Well, all we need now is soap to go with it all."

"Oh god, let me take care of that," he said, snapped his fingers, and perfectly arranged baskets, containing hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion (all scented) appeared on the counters in the bathrooms. "Done!"

"Yes, Riku... done." I yawned. "How about some dinner?"

"Yes. Let's go." He picked me up and we flew down to the kitchen.

"You seem impatient," I noted, as he set me down.

"Cleaning is tedious work."

"Of course it is."

He walked to the fridge and pulled out some cold meat and cheese, along with a bottle of white wine. "This alright?"

"Yeah." (The wine was of no consequence, there's something at Isola that kept it from damaging a person).

After dinner and a shower, we were both sprawled, half-naked, on the soft rug infront of the fireplace in his room, drip-drying. (You know, we didn't use towels after our showers, we only put on underwear/panties/other undergarments).

"Are you positive you want to go through with this?" he asked, weaving his hands in my hair.

"Yes, of course. If I have help--"

"It's not the decorating I'm worried about, it's the... um, contract you need to get the help."

"Why would you be worried about it?"

"It's... um, not signing your name. If you are under contract, even for a short period of time, you have to sign in blood--"

"I don't mind that."

"I figured you wouldn't, but to be sure you keep the contract... as soon as you sign, this appears on you... it feels as if it's burned on." He pulled down a corner of his boxers (not all the way down, just to show his right hip-bone-area), and there was a black heartless crest _burned_ onto his skin. I could actually run my hand over it and feel where it had burned away a little bit of flesh. "Ah..." he caught my hand, then looked at me apologetically. "It hurts."

"Sorry... does it come off when the contract is over?"

"Yes. That much I know for sure. But it hurts to get it on, to have it on, and your angel cannot protect you." He gestured at the necklace I had around my neck.

"It's okay. I'll deal with it." I laid my head on his chest and he ran his fingers through my hair until we both fell asleep.

The next morning, he woke me when it was still dark. "Rose?"

"Mmm... what is it?"

"We need to leave for Hollow Bastion soon. Come on, get up, get dressed." he helped me up off the carpet.

"Alright." I smiled at him, still half asleep. "Lemme go..."

"Okay. Wear the crest. It's the only way they'll let you in."

"Got it..." I walked out the door and towards my room.

After some deliberation, I picked out a blue-and-black dress, shredded at the bottom (which reached to my knee) and strapped my guns onto my thighs. I put on a pair of stilettos, fixed my hair in a messy updo, and wandered to the kitchen, where I knew he would be waiting.

When he saw me, he stopeed dead. He was wearing his customary heartless-crest uniform, but obviously liked what I was wearing. "I have never seen you look like that," he said, taken aback.

"Well, you've never seen me want to make an impression," I said, grabbing half a bagel spread with cream cheese. "Are you ready to go?"

"Y-yeah." On my way out, I grabbed a black purse.

The gummi ship ride was not long, because we were able to warp, and once there, we got off -- well, I'm still not quite sure. We took a few lifts, up and over and left and right. Hollow Bastion was no different than Riku had told me it was, so I wasn't surprised until I stepped into the hall where all a manner of people were gathered.

"Well, well, Riku, who is this?" asked a tall, skinny lady with horns on her hat and a long, black cloak.

"This is Rose, Maleficent. She has a request to make."

"So, this is the infamous Rose," a tall man dressed in red with a hook on his hand came up and ran his cold metal hook over my chest. I took a few steps back and crossed my hands over where he had touched.

"Hook, _please_ don't touch her that way," said Riku, stepping in front of me. "You don't want the heartless crawling up your back, do you?" This time there was a hint of malice in his voice.

"I suppose not."

"That is enough," this time it was Maleficent. "Why are you here?" The question was directed at me.

"I- if you want the Christmas party held at Isola, then we will need some help." Riku looked a little surprised that I had chosen to answer so boldly.

"Get the heartless to do it," said a squid-like, purple-skinned lady in the back of the room. "Why would you need anything else?"

"Because heartless are heartless!" I said, a little exasperated. "I need sensible human ladies to help me. I need the princesses."

When I said this, all was silent. Then, Maleficent, who was apparently the leader, spoke. "How do you propose we do this, Riku? Obviously you have spoken to her about this."

"Rose made up rooms for them yesterday. You very well know that there is no way off Isola without my authorization. She needs them to help."

"You would take prisoners into your own home as guests?" The hook-handed man's voice contained a hint of mockery.

"They would not be my guests, they would be hers." I shot Riku a glare but said nothing.

"Girl," said Maleficent, "do you know what it would be to enter under contract with us?"

"Sign in blood and..." I hesitated, but the purple squid lady intervened.

"Maleficent, I am sure she knows. How could she not see Riku's when they are in bed together?" At this, both Riku and I glared at the lady.

"Ursula, you know very well that --" Riku started, but was cut off by laughter.

"You are still a boy of fifteen," said Maleficent. "Come now Rose, let's make up this contract."

"First I want to see the girls. There should be six, if I am correct."

"Yes... very well. Hook, go and get them. Now, girl, let's write up this contract and have you sign."

The contract was simple, written on a sheet of green parchment, it said that I could have the six Princesses of Heart at Isola until three days after the Christmas party, as long as I agreed to not let them off the island or speak to them of any of the council's activities. (It also stated, at the bottom, that this was only being allowed because it would be in service for something that would be for the pleasure of the council members). The princesses, all six of them, were then brought into the chamber. They were all handcuffed together with gags over their mouths, each looking insolent and defeated at the same time, each in dirty clothes and hair.

"Here are your assistants," said Maleficent. "Will the be sufficient?"

"Yes... yes, quite..." I was taken aback at their appearance, but would not say anything, although I knew that Riku sensed my discomfort.

"Now it is time to sign." Maleficent pulled out a knife and an inkwell, along with a black quill. "Give me your left arm."

Closing my eyes, I obeyed her command. There was a flash of searing pain in my arm, then everything seemed to go black. However, I was caught by Riku's strong arms and healed by his soft touch. When I was able to stand up again, he stepped back.

"Sign," said Maleficent, not caring about my pain. She handed me the quill, and I slowly signed my name in my own blood. (She had caught what had fallen from my arm in the inkwell). As I got closer and closer to finishing signing, there was a burning pain on my right hip, and by the time I had gotten to my last name, it was nearly unbearable. I bit my lip and finished with the quill. When I was finally done, I dropped the pen and collapsed on the floor, grasping where it burned.

"Get her out of here," came Maleficent's voice, and then I felt Riku lifting me off the floor and heard the clink of chains and soft footsteps. When we were a fair enough distance away, Riku set me down against a wall and dropped the lead.

"Rose, are you alright?" he asked tenderly, caressing my face with his hand.

"Y-yeah. It just... hurts..."

"I can't do anything to help you... I wish..."

"I-it'll be fine... just gimme a minute." I was finally able to stand up, as the pain was starting to null. "Alright, now, let's get these shackles off," I said, walking towards the six princesses. "Riku, do you have the key?"

"Yeah, but..."

"But what?"

"We shouldn't take the shackles off here," he whishpered in my ear.

"Oh... okay then. C'umon girls, just a few more steps, then I'll have those horrid things off of your hands and mouths." I motioned for them to follow me, but I didn't need to; Riku had brought the gummi ship right up to where we were standing.

"All aboard, girls," he said over the external mic. "We've got a house to decorate."

The girls and I all giggled, then I motioned for them to climp aboard. After they were all safely on, I got on. "Okay, _now_ can I take these things off?"

"Go on, the key's on the table."

"Yes!" I exclaimed, holding the key. Then, I pulled out my knife that was next to my guns under my dress. Using this, I cut off all of their gags. "Better?" I asked.

"Much better," said the little girl in the blue dress and white apron. The older girls didn't look like they were ready to trust me yet.

"Here, maybe this'll help," I said, un-shackling each of them. When they were all finally free, I smiled. "Welcome, I'm Rose, your hostess for the next week."

"Watch it with that 'hostess'stuff," chimed in Riku, who had put the warp on now.

"Oh shut up," I said, giggling and pushing him playfully. Then, turning to the girls, I said, "Do you know why you're here?"

"What do you care?" spat the brunette in the tattered yellow dress. At this, I sensed a flare of anger from Riku, but shook my head.

"Becuase you will be guests in my home, helping me with a few preparations."

"That's what _he_ said before," replied the brunette, glaring at Riku "but we ended up like this."

"I was doing what I was told to do under my contract to _save_ one of you, although Sora got to it first..."

"Sora?" said the black-haired girl dressed in what looked like a belly dancer outfit. "Is he here?"

"Like _hell_ he's not," said Riku, getting angrier.

"Riku!" I said, and stepped in front of him, my back to the Princesses. "Please?" I put my puppy dog face on, then gave him a short kiss, making him blush. "Please? They are our guests."

"_Your_ guests."

I sighed. "I don't want to get into that again," and turned back to the princesses. With a sudden jolt, I knew we were at Isola. "Welcome," I said, "To _Isola del Cielo_. It's where you'll be helping me decorate for a Christmas party to be held in two weeks for the Council. However, you will be treated a guests and not as prisoners. First, let me show you to your rooms."

I walked off the ship with everyone staring at me. I heard Riku say grudgingly "go on" and they finally started walking towards the front gate. Once we got into the entrance hall, they all stopped in their tracks.

"Whoa..." said the girl with the short black hair, her dress looking as if it was once yellow with a blue bodice. "Rose, I believe you," she said. "I'm Snow White. A pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine," I replied, smiling.

"This is Alice," she said, putting her hands on the little blond's shoulders.

"Nice to meet you," I said, smiling some more.

"Since Snow White seems to trust you, I suppose I can, too..." said the tall blonde. "I'm Cinderella."

"And I'm Aurora," said another one.

The other two girls sighed and smiled at one another, and then at me. "I'm Jasmine," said the one that looked like a belly dancer.

"I'm sorry for my behavior before," said the last girl. "I'm Belle. I just-- it's been hard for me. I've lost my prince..."

"Most of us have lost our princes," said Aurora sadly. "Alice is the only one who hasn't... because she didn't have one in the first place."

"You've all lost your--" I took a sharp breath, imagining what it would be like to lose Riku. "No..."

Riku, who had been standing at the back of the entrance hall, suddenly disappeared in that blue-black darkness.

"Well.. we try to forget," said Cinderella, after a breif pause.

"Alright... I really want to stop thinking about this," I said, shaking my head. "C'umon, I'll take you guys to your rooms and you can get cleaned up so we can start decorating."

On the way to the rooms, Alice asked, "What exactly is happening here, why are we here?"

"I suppose I should have answered this sooner," I replied, turning a corner. "The council decided that Riku should hold a Christmas party here at Isola, because it was the best residence of all of the council members. He came home yesterday and told me, and I volunteered to do most of it. However, I need help because this is such a large house... and I said I wanted human women, not heartless. So, Riku recommended you guys."

"Wow," said Belle, as I opened the first door.

"This is Snow White's room; but because they're all the same I'll give you a tour." I walked into the room. "There isn't much, but here's the wardrobe, and you can choose whatever you want to, and here's the bathroom," I said, opening a curtain on the wall. "You'll find fresh soap and everything else you'll need to keep yourselves clean. Also, if you ever need anything, there's a pull right here," I gestured to a silver rope hanging from the ceiling. "One of our chefs will come and you can order what you want to eat. However... they are all heartless. We and Riku are the only humans in the castle."

"So we shouldn't be surprised or frightened if there are heartless roaming the halls?" asked Jasmine.

"Well... it takes some getting used to," I said, shrugging. "As for the matter of meals, the kitchen is.... well, I'm not quite sure. All you need to do is say something like 'kitchen,' turn a corner, and it will be right there. We eat in the dining hall at dinner, generally at six-thirty. As for lunch... well, we generally do the same thing we do for breakfast and any other time we want to eat -- go to the kitchen."

"This is very generous of you..." said Aurora uncertainly, as if it was too good to be true.

"Make no mistake, we will be working hard for the next two weeks," I said, winking at them. "Decorating this house will be difficult. But right now... I say you guys go on and get cleaned up -- your rooms are down the hall -- and come on in the kitchen when you're done. See you later!" And I walked out of the room, towards the library, where I knew Riku would be waiting for me.

When I walked in the room, he was seated on a sofa, staring into the fire. I came up behind him and began stroking his head.

"I still don't like them here," he said. I walked around and sat next to him on the couch.

"You're getting over yourself," I replied, now not touching him in any way.

"Yes... well... I love you too much and it makes you so happy..." he smiled half-heartedly.

I smiled back, saying, "You're too sweet." I them ran my finger down his face, and he reached over and pulled me into a rough kiss. It was beautiful... we ended up with me laying with my head beside his neck, his hands on my stomach, my hands over his.

The next few weeks were spent getting the house ready for the party; the trees were adorned with white lights, gold ribbon, and gold and glass ornaments, the stair rails and columns were wrapped in ribbons, _and_ I had found a dress I could wear that would match everything; made of gold and white silk, and it fitted my body tightly, accenting every curve. it had a large bow in the back, and I found some gold earrings and a gold necklace with a teardrop pearl pendant, along with some shimmery shoes.

The princesses and I had some very interesting conversations, and one day one of them asked why I tolerated living at Isola with Riku. They couldn't understand how I could love Riku when he was obviously working for the dark side.

"Well..." I pondered for a second, and continued. "He warned me, when I first met him, that he did work for the evil side. So I went to see Sora... but he ended up doing something unforgivable to me, and Riku was there after it was over. He took me in, helped me recouperate, and... we fell in love with each other. I couldn't help it. He is just so... he's my prince."

"What would Sora do that's unforgivable?" asked Jasmine, who had apparently met Sora before. "It's not like he raped you or anything."

I kept silent and turned back to the bow I was fixing, and the girls let the matter rest, thankfully.

The afternoon before the party, when the girls were scheduled to go back to Hollow Bastion, I met each one in the kitchen for lunch.

"I don't want to let you go back," I said earnestly. "But I can't break the contract."

"We understand," replied Belle, looking at the ground.

"However, I will not let you leave empty-handed." I pulled out six large baskets. "These contain extra dresses, soap, towels, lotions, hairbrushes, toothbrushes and toothpaste, ribbons, jewelry, pens, and paper. Also, there is bread and water and ham, which will keep at any temperature. I have written to Maleficent regarding where you are to live, and have secured a larger room with a bathroom and beds for you; if you don't get what she promised you would, there are buttons on the inside hem of your undergarments. Just press them and I'll know and fix things."

The all just stared at me, disbelieving. "Thank you," said Alice, picking up a basket, and the others followed suit. Suddenly, Hook burst into the room.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, a little stunned.

"Why, I'm here to pick up the girls," he cackled.

"Alright, I guess. Bye, and thanks again." I gave them each a hug, then they were led out, baskets in hand, by Hook.

A few minutes later, I was still sitting in the kitchen chairs, staring into space. All around me, heartless were busy cooking various foods for the Christmas feast to be served later that night.Then Riku came in and sat next to me.

"What did you give Maleficent in exchange for the room?" he asked quietly.

I looked away and mumbled, "Nothing much... I just have to keep the scar from the contract."

He bent down and kissed my neck. "It's your decision. Now, let's go get ready. If I know you, you'll need several hours to get ready."

I smiled up at him. "Yeah... probably. Have you seen my dress yet?"

"No, show me." We walked upstairs to get ready.

The party was fun, and most of the people there enjoyed the decorations, asking Riku how he managed to do it all. I got deserved credit for what I did, of course. There was socializing, eating, then dancing... however, I liked the end of the party, after everyone had left, and Riku and I were sitting cuddled on the rug infront of the fire in the main hall. (Our favorite place to sit is in front of the fire during the winter... it so, well... close). We didn't have to say a word. We knew that everything had been a success.


	4. RemixEdit

Pain. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.

I awoke, opening my eyes as I had on countless mornings before now. But, something felt strange, out of the ordinary, wrong. I realized what this was when my eyes were fully opened. A rush of adrenaline had me awake and sitting up very quickly, rendering me blind for a few seconds.

"Ah... Where am I?" The room was ...red. That's the best way I can explain it. It had an Asian flair to it, old Japanese paintings hanging on the walls, a high, red canopy above a bed covered in red sheets and gold kanji on the headboard. The Red Room.

A voice spoke. A male voice. "Are you okay?" He sounded nice enough. I nodded slowly, looking at the silver-haired boy leaning on the door frame.

"Yeah... I think"

"Good, now... Who the _hell _are you?" Scratch my previous observation. This guy was a total bastard. And I was mad.

"Me?" I was awake now, and when I wake up, you usually should stay away from me for a few hours. "Oh, me! I'm fine, just waking up in a strange bed with a strange smell with SOME STRANGE GUY ASKING WHO THE HELL I AM! All I wanna know is where on earth this ...place... is! I'm lost! All I did was pass out in my perfectly normal neighborhood where I went, _go_, to a perfectly ordinary school with perfectly normal people in a perfectly normal world! Then I wake up here, with red sheets in an abnormal place! With _you_, whoever you are, asking who the _hell _ I am! Tell me where the _hell_ I am and I'll tell you who the _hell _ I am!" I was standing up now, and he seemed a little taken aback by this outburst.

We stood there for a minute, staring defiantly at each other, before he finally said, "So... Who the _hell _ are you?" I couldn't believe him.

"Oh, was I not speaking English?" I raised an eyebrow. "Tell me where the _hell _ I am and I'll tell you who the _hell_ I am. That's all there is too it."

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. "You don't know?"

"Duh."

"Most people know."

"So what?"

"Especially the women."

"I'm a lady, and I have no clue where the _hell_ I am."

"You don't know."

"FOR THE LAST TIME, I DO NOT KNOW WHERE THE _HELL_ I AM!"

He sighed and smiled. "Are you sure?"

"Just answer the damn question."

"Fine. If you answer mine."

"My name's Rose. Now where the _hell _am I, and a new question, who the _hell _are you?"

"Tsk, tsk, we're losing our temper a little too soon, don't you think?"

"Stop avoiding the question."

His black-gloved hand reached to push a few strands out of his face. "It's Riku. And not that blond. Do NOT get me confused with her."

"And where am I?"

"Traverse Town."

"Tra- what?" My eyes widened.

"Traverse Town. Second district, Hotel, Red Room, bed. Duh."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

"I answered your questions."

"I have more."

"Like what?"

"Well, let's see. I know who I am, I know who you are, I know where we are. Three things. How did I get to this strange place? Where is Traverse Town? I've never seen it on any map. Why am I here? Is this some kind of practical joke? If so, fess up, the longer I'm in this, the angrier I'll be when I get out. And why are you here? Who exactly are you? And"

He walked up to me and put his hand over my mouth, suddenly serious. "Don't make a sound," he whispered. I followed his gaze, and looked out the window. "It's the supposed Keyblade master. He doesn't need to know we're here."

I would have protested, but this guy was strong. I could see the muscles under his thin yellow shirt as he moved... Ah, quit it! No! NOT NOW!

After the "danger" had passed, Riku relaxed and sat down on the bed, pulling me down next to him. "You don't know."

"Quit saying that."

"But everyone's supposed to know. They just do. It's a law, like if I drop something it'll fall down, not up or to the left."

"Obviously I'm exempt."

"Yeah, Yeah. Okay. What was the first question?"

"How did I get here?"

"It was destiny."

"Oh, no. Not this. Too corny."

"Fine then. Ask anyone around here. You'll get the same answer. Did you have another question?"

"Duh. Who are you? I mean, I know your name, but I don't know anything else about you except that you have silver hair and green-blue eyes and h" I cut my self off in mid sentence, but I think he knew what I was going to say, because his eyes were laughing.

"You'll learn more than you want to know about me, Rose."

"Riight. Who's this 'Keyblade Master'? And what are keyblades?"

"A keyblade is a key that is a blade."

"Explain that."

He sighed, and held out his arm straight so it was in line with his shoulder blade. There was a deep glow, blue-black, and all of a sudden, a giant key appeared in his hand. This guy was good. "This is a Keyblade. There are two in the universe, one wielded by me, one wielded by Sora, my ex-friend, who can't use it to do anything but lock or unlock Keyholes and kill heartless."

"What?"

So I learned about the heartless, the keyblades, and this Sora guy who was working for the good people. Riku was working for the darkness. And I was stuck with him.

"...you can either stay with me and go easy, or go with Sora, be a good little girl, and have it hard. I'll let you choose, but know that I will always be around for you, just in case."

I thought about it for a moment. I know I wasn't an angel at home, but I knew where to draw the line between mischief and evil.

"I don't really want to be on the dark side. I'll go with this Sora guy. I don't need to get myself killed, I still have plans for my life! You _know_ that the good guys always win."

"Ah, now," he said, gesturing. "Light will win for a while, but the dark is always there. Always. You can't stop it from coming back."

"But all the darkness in the world can't put out the light of a single candle."

"Darkness could, if it was powerful enough."

"Whatever." I stood up and walked ot the door. Just before opening it, I turned back to look at him, but he was gone. But, I could have sworn that I heard him, or the wind, or my crazy, messed up mind, saying _I'll always be here, just call me._ Dude. This was getting creepier by the second.

I walked out of the hotel, and wandered along the streets, curious to where this Sora could be, what he might be like. I found a door with the words 'Third District' on it, and walked through. Nothing. I had expected there to be heartless somewhere, but I had encountered none. Walking up the stairs, I found a small house jutting out of the wall, and found the door unlocked. Upon walking in, I saw a girl in a purple skirt sitting at the table. When she saw me, she jumped up and raised her hands in a pathetic fighting stance.

"Who are you?" At least she was politer than Riku.

"You're not winning any battles against me, hun. I'm an elite." This wasn't exactly bluffing. Having grown up in the ghetto, I had participated in more than my share of street fights.

Her frame relaxed. "I suppose so. Sora just started teaching me yesterday..."

"Wait. You know Sora?"

"You do?" This girl was pathetic.

"Yeah, I met him last night at the bar... then we went to a hotel." I smirked.

Her eyes widened.

"Just kidding, kid." Just how stupid was she?

"Who are you?" she tried again, eyeing me suspiciously.

"My name's Rose. You know Sora?"

"Yeah. He's my boyfriend." That explained her reaction earlier. "Why should you care?"

"I think my world was destroyed. I woke up in a strange bed in the Second District and this guy Riku told me to find Sora."

"Riku gave up a girl? He must really like you."

"Huh? How do you know Riku? And where's Sora?"

"Riku's one of my ex-friends. I have quite a few, come to think of it. Sora's the only one left."

I nodded. "That's nice. Where's Sora?"

"Are you sure Riku said you could go? You know, you seem like just his type of girl."

I glanced at her angrily. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She giggled a girlie giggle. "Nothing."

"Where's Sora?"

She frowned at me. "You certainly are persistent. Sora usually will stop by right around this time to check on me, so you can meet him then. I'm Kairi, by the way."

I hoped Sora would be along soon. The quicker I could get away from this ditz the better. The few minutes before he did show up were filled with a silence that I was comfortable with, dunno about her.

The door opened, finally, and in came the brunette I saw fighting from the room earlier, followed by a duck and a wolf. Talking animals, how delightful.

"Hey, Kairi."

"Hi, Sora!"

"Who's this?"

Since I didn't want to hear my name coming out of her mouth I decided this was a good time to butt in. "I'm Rose. Riku said that you'd help me."

He gaped at me. "Riku... How do you know Riku?"

"I met him when I came here. He offered me a chance at power with the darkness, but I refused. He said you'd help me."

He smiled the most cheesy smile I'd ever seen. "Sure! Of course!"

I stayed with Sora and Kairi for a few days, but began to become impatient. One day, when Sora had come in to 'check on' Kairi and me, I asked him about something I had been wondering about for a while.

"So, can you get me to another world?"

"Yeah. But why don't you stay in Traverse Town with Kairi?"

"Umm, let me think. You're idiot girlfriend is driving me crazy, and within the the next few hours, I'll probably end up killing her. And you wouldn't like that, now would you?"

He, like Riku, had been seemed taken aback by my response. Then he shook his head. "Geez, sorry."

"Looks like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed today!" It was the wolf. The wolf had talked.

"Goofy... you might not want to" started Sora.

That was all I could take. Screaming time again. "Wrong side of the bed? WRONG SIDE OF THE BED! HOW BIG OF AN IDIOT ARE YOU? I woke up in the wrong bed, in the wrong world, in the wrong room, with some guy asking who the _hell_ I was, and then I come here, to the the supposed good side, just to be stuck with some idiot brat who wears purple miniskirts! Then I meet Sora, who was supposed to help me, and all he does is ask pointless questions! And then, _then_, some weirdo wolf asks me if I woke up on the wrong side of the bed like I was some kid who enjoys visiting Disney World! So no, I DID NOT wake up on the wrong side of the bed!"

The entire group was shocked into silence. I stared defiantly at them, daring someone to speak.

"Rose? Can I talk to you outside?" asked Sora finally. I was the first at the door.

He didn't go very far, then he asked me, "Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll take you on my gummi ship if you can beat me in a fight."

A fight was just what I needed at the moment, so I decided to agree with him.

"Sure, sounds like fun." The moment I said that, two guns appeared in my hands. I gasped in surprise, and then just accepted it to be part of this dream.

Sora just stared. "Where did you get those?"

"I dunno," I said, making sure they were ready to fire, "but I'm certainly gonna use them!" I jumped away from him, and hit him twice, but he had not passed out, of course.

No matter how cocky I seemed, though, Sora was still more powerful than I was. With my blood spattered all over me, I was as pale as a ghost. I fell to the ground, and Sora knelt down next to me. "You are very beautiful, Rose..."

"Wha?" But I didn't have the energy to stop him. He pressed himself onto me, into me... and I passed out.

"Rose? Rose?"

As always happens when I come to after passing out, I felt intense pain. And then the memories returned, sending a rush of adrenaline up my spine, causing me to sit up quickly. More quickly than my head would have liked. "Ah"

"Careful. You did just go through hell, if I'm not mistaken." I looked up to see a smiling Riku. But... I don't know if it was a smile or a smirk, one could never tell with him. "I thought this might happen. Sora can get... pretty horny sometimes."

I sighed and laid back down on the bed, not feeling up to arguing. "Thanks. A lot. I don't know" Riku placed his hand over my mouth.

He sat down on the edge of the mattress, and studied my face for a while, before saying, "Try to get some sleep. It's already tomorrow morning, after all."

Not wishing to bother my head with his banter, I closed my eyes and slipped into merciful sleep.

Upon awakening, I found the room I was in empty, and got to look around. Blue. This, obviously, had an aquarium theme, and the wall were strange. Upon further investigation, I found that they were filled with blue water... and there were fish swimming in them! What was up with this place and color themes? I knew I was back in the hotel, somehow. Maybe it was that law Riku had mentioned.

I opened the door and peered down the hallway, to see it empty. No, wait, the main doors were opening! A firm hand pushed the door shut. Strangest thing was, the hand was on _my side of the door,_ yet there had been no other person in the room before. But I knew who it was.

"Riku." Turning around, I found myself looking into his eyes. Clear Aqua Blue.

"You shouldn't go out there right now. Sora's looking for you." He hadn't removed his hand from the door, and we were so close our bodies were almost touching.

"Uh... right." Saving me from embarrassment, he moved away to close the curtains on the only window in the room.

"Riku?" My voice was rather out of it now.

"Yes?"

"What happened... in the alley... after I passed out?"

"I carried you here."

"And?"

"Several hours later you woke up."

"Ok..."

"We're leaving for Halloween Town now. Follow me to the gummi ship." And he walked out of the room, leaving me standing there, mystified.

Breathless, I followed him, he was somehow gliding quickly along the ground, more quickly than a human could ever want to walk. We got to the large gates in front of the first district, and he grabbed my hand. "Ready?"

"For what?"

"To travel. It will take some time, none of the warp holes or warp drives are working."

"Riiight. I don't know what you're talking about, but I will follow you."

"Do that. Stay close." I grabbed onto his arm out of nervousness, but he acted as if he had frightened girls hanging onto his arm every day, and paid no attention to the fact.

We jumped. For ten long seconds, there was complete darkness, and then we landed in chairs in the front of what looked like a ship.

I couldn't say anything. It was amazing... full of lights and buttons and colors and sitting right next to me in the pilots seat was this really, really, mysterious, hot guy who thought nothing of it when I began clinging onto his arm. _No, wait. Just because he's hot doesn't mean I.. I like him... does it? No. No, not yet. But he's so hot..._

"Be ready for takeoff." The voice was his, but not the tender or sarcastic one that he had used before. This voice meant business.

"Takeoff? Oh no..." I had just enough time to grasp the armrests of my chair before we were thrust forward into outer space.

However, despite my earlier, er, nervousness, once we began flying at a normal pace on auto pilot, I began to actually enjoy the ride. In the back, there were two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchenette. Up front, where we spent most of the time on our first day, had the comfortable pilot and co pilot chairs and a huge windshield that reached from floor to ceiling.

The day we took off, no body said anything after I had said 'oh no,' until right before I began to think I might go and rest.

"Rose?"

I turned, surprised. "Yes?"

"Where are you from?"

"...Truthfully?"

"Yes, Rose, truthfully."

Shaking my head, I closed my eyes. "I... I can't remember. I can't. And I'm not bothered by it..."

"Ok." He turned his chair around to look at me, a girl wishing for answers, wishing for him, though he wasn't to know that.

We were on the ship for a few days, and Riku had given me a tour. My room was in the back, along with a bathroom and a chest full of clothes and shoes. I had changed into these outfits, and today I was wearing blue jeans with a black t-shirt and black boots.

"Hey, Rose?" He sounded a little more uncertain now, more like the fifteen year old boy that he was than the professional façade he put on.

"Yes?"

"Look." And he turned around to face the control panels again, then, pressing a button, he stood up and walked over to the door. I followed. Then I turned around to look.

"Wow..."

The entire gummi ship had suddenly become transparent. It was as if we were floating along in space with nothing. I felt like I was flying with my own wings. Hesitatingly, I reached out to touch a passing star. It didn't seem like those balls of gas, but more like a _star_. My fingers touched it. It was the most amazing feeling in the universe. Hot and Cold, Soft and Scratchy, and the most dominant feeling was... well, I can't describe it any other way than _sparkle_. It's one of those things you have to haven been there to know, I suppose.

"You like it?" His voice pulled me out of my mesmerized state.

"Yeah..."

He put one hand on my shoulder, and I reached up behind me and held my hand over it. He began to move closer to me... but just as he was about to put both of his arms around me, there was a sudden jolt that knocked us both off our feet, and a red light began to flash.

"Shoot!" He ran to his seat in the cockpit. The ship was no longer transparent. "Rose! Get over here now!"

I ran to my seat and strapped myself in. "What's happening?"

"We're damaged. Just a second." He maneuvered some levers, pushed some buttons, and ran right through a star. "There. Got it! And the warps working now."

"What's a warp?" But before he could answer, we were pulled into what I supposed was a "warp," and there was a flash of bright light, and we landed.

"That," he said, turning and smiling at me, "was a warp."

I smiled back, and his hand briefly rested on my knee, but he quickly pulled away. "oh my god..." He was gazing at the landscape in front of us. It was bare. There was NOTHING there whatsoever.

"Sora's been here. I HATE HIM!" He banged his fist on the dashboard.

"Riku..." I reached out my hand toward him, but he had already started, up and pacing around.

"All he does is take things from me. Kairi, the keyblade, the secret place, the race, Traverse Town, and now Halloween Town! He knew very well that I loved this place, Rose, don't you say anything about that!"

"I wasn't going to defend him," I said, an obvious look on my face. "He raped me, remember?"

"That's another thing he's stolen! Sora is such a THIEF!"

He carried on like this until I thought he would explode if he turned any redder. "Riku?" I ran up to him, and put my arms around his waist from behind. "Riku! Please stop."

My sudden action seemed to calm him down. "I'm sorry Rose..."

"It's okay.." I let go of him. When he turned around, I thought a saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes, but it was gone in a second. This guy, no longer some strange bastard, was good at hiding his emotions.

He walked back to the cockpit. "We're going to have to sleep here tonight, in the gummi ship. It's too late to travel to Hollow Bastion tonight." I came up behind him and nodded, trying to puzzle out all of the flashing buttons.

"That's cool with me, Riku."

"Now, let's go see what our gummi ship has in the kitchenette, shall we?" He walked to the back of the ship, me tailing him.

After looking through the few cabinets for a few minutes, I said, "Look at this, Riku."

"You found some food in these empty cupboards?"

"Actually yes, at least I think so." I showed him the package.

"I didn't know we had these," he said, gazing at them.

"What are they?" I asked, looking through the cabinets.

"It's a special kind of food, called _Tiroquis_. It's very rare, and very good to eat, especially on long journeys. And it's very filling."

"Okay, we'll eat some of those then," and I pulled out a yellow star-shaped fruit. "And we can share one of these, they're gigantic!"

"Err..."

But before he could say anything, I had pulled out two plates and set them on the table and began to put the foods on the plate. "Come on, Riku! This fruit is _wonderful_." He walked over and began to eat.

The entire supper was spent in awkward silence. He didn't seem to feel very willing to talk. However, when we had finished, and went back out to the main room, he turned around.

"Err... g'night Rose..."

"Yeah...g'night.." I turned around and slowly walked into the room. I turned around before I shut the door, but he was gone.

The room wasn't large, there was a small bed in the corner, and a chest at the foot of it. At the other end was a doorway, with a bathroom, nicely furnished. I was feeling a little (rather, very) sweaty and gross, so I turned on the shower. I threw my clothes on the floor, then stepped in. _Much better,_ I thought, as I let the hot water flow over my body. The soap smelled like that star-fruit we had earlier at dinner. Needless to say, I stepped out of that shower clean and relaxed.

Once I had dried off and combed out my hair, I went out to search from some fresh clothes. In the chest, there was a loose, yellow night dress, so I slipped it over my head. I felt curious, so I peaked out the door. He was there, standing with his back to me, majestic. "Good night, Riku," I whispered, and left the door ajar. I switched off the light and climbed into my bed, falling asleep quickly. However, at one point, when I wasn't fully unconscious, I felt a hand brush against my face, and it moved some hair away.

I was awoken by the sound of the engine. I shuffled around in the chest for some clothes, and found black jeans and a red baby doll t-shirt I slipped into them (my door was closed now, of course), ran a brush through my hair, then opened my door, finding Riku at the cockpit.

"Good morning," I said gazing at the back of his head.

He turned around, startled, but when he saw me he smiled, "Good morning to you too, Rose."

"Where are we going?" I sat down in the seat next to him.

"Well, I got the warp working, so we can go to _Isola Del Cielo_ now."

"Ice de what?"

"_Isola_ _Del_ _Cielo_. My personal estate. It's where I hang out when I'm not in Halloween Town."

"Sounds cool to me."

For a few minutes, there was nothing, then, I decided to ask a question. "Why were you so rude to me in Traverse Town?"

I thought I saw a hint of a blush on his cheek. "It's just how I'm accustomed to greeting people. And... there were other things going on."

"Oh... that's okay. I'm sorry for how I acted, I just respond in the same voice."

There was a few more minutes of awkward silence, and then we arrived.

"Well... we're here."

Black things began to swarm the place. "AHHHHHHH RIKU WHAT ARE THESE?" I couldn't escape them... I was drowning in cold darkness... I thought I was screaming his name, but I couldn't hear myself...

"GET OFFA HER YOU BASTARDS!" The cold darkness was gone in an instant, and I was laying on the floor on my back, Riku standing in front of me.

He knelt down on the ground, and said, "Rose... I'm so sorry. I didn't know that they'd do that... Are you okay?"

"Yeah... Yeah I'm fine." I sat up and rubbed my head. "What were those creatures?"

"Heartless, creatures of the darkness."

"Who controls them?"

"I do... but I don't have too much control over them, unfortunately."

"Oh... well thanks for helping me."

He helped me up, and said, "Come on, step outside. Tell me what you think."

"Oh Riku..." It was beautiful. The night sky was filled with stars, and in front of me was an immense, dark castle, the dark glimmering. Glimmering in a way I cannot explain. The trees lining the drive that led up to the castle had a shimmering piece of darkness on the tip of each branch, it was a glimmering dream.

"You like it?"

"It's beautiful..."

He smiled and held out his arm. "May I escort milady to the gates?"

I smiled back, and decided to play along, so I put my arm through his and said, "Why, certainly. I would be most grateful."

We began to walk up the drive, giggling like children all the way. When we reached the gates, we collapsed on each other, laughing our heads off. I began to play with his long, soft, silvery hair. He turned around and looked at me. "What?" I asked, "Do you not like me playing with your hair?"

"I don't mind that... you just... surprised me."

"I'm full of surprises." Then I kissed him on the nose and ran off up to the gates.

"Hey!" He ran after me, and opened the door. "Welcome, Rose, to _Le Maison de Riku._"

"Wow... it's so... big..."

He smiled. "Your suite is this way..." He led me down a long corridor, right, left, left, right, down stairs, left, left, right, up stairs, upstairs again, left, right, right, left, it was a long ways to my room.

"How am I ever going to remember how to get to my room?" I said, breathlessly, as we were climbing the last spiral staircase.

"Oh, it will come to you when you want it to."

"Right," I said sarcastically. "Sure it will."

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"I guess you haven't... It was Sora who did that."

He smirked, "Yeah. That sounds like Sora."

I shivered as I remembered it... the feeling...

"Anyway," he said, thankfully interrupting my thoughts, "Ah, here we are." he opened the door, and led me into my new room. "I've got some business to attend to. We're expecting someone..."

"It wouldn't happen to be Sora and his pets would it?"

"Actually... it is. Kairi's staying behind"

"Thank God. That little bitch is so annoying."

"Whatever. Just make sure you're not undressed when they get here."

"Of course I won't. Err... What if Sora comes after me again?"

"I've taken care of that." He walked over to the dresser, and pulled out a necklace. It had a silver angel, with shimmering black crystal pendant for the dress. "Here..." He put the necklace around my neck and fastened it. "This will generate a shield of darkness, something that Sora cannot pass through. It will protect you if he has intentions of harming you."

I touched the pendant, it was vibrating with power. His hands had moved from the back of the necklace to my waist. "Thank you, Riku..." He walked to the other side of the room, turning and facing the window.

"Oh god Rose..."

Walking back over to me, he grasped my chin in one gloved hand.

"Nothing comes without a price, Rose."

"Wh-what?"

But he didn't say a word. Instead, I felt... omigod, he was kissing me! Soon as I figured it out, though it took me a minute, I kissed him back. He was the one who broke it, after what seemed like ten minutes.

"You're good," came his voice in a hoarse whisper. My head was lying on his shoulder.

"Instinct."

We sat there for a few minutes, and it was him who finally spoke.

"Well... errr... I guess I'd better be going now..." He reluctantly let me go. "I'll see you later..."

"Wait!"

"What?"

"How can I find you? It's such a big place... as soon as I'm changed I want to come back to you..."

"Just say my name in the hall, and start walking. You'll find me."

I ran up to him and gave him one last kiss on the lips. "I'll see you later then..."

He gave a warm smile. "See you later."

As soon as he left, I fell back on my bed, giggling. _He likes me! _When I recovered from my lovesick thoughts, I stood up and surveyed the room. (When one is kissing someone, one doesn't notice the room.) The bed was large, with a high canopy above it. The floor had a purple and gold carpet, and a cherry wood dresser with a large mirror sitting on it, along with a huge wardrobe. When I opened this wardrobe, I found everything from naughty, sexy lingerie to gigantic dresses clearly made to wear with hoops to the basic blue jean and t-shirt.

I thought about it for a moment, then saw a note from Riku on pinned to one of the dresses.

_Rose,_

_I know this dress may be different for you, but I think it would be most... fitting... to greet him in, and to impress any other people who wander our way. Plus it matches your new necklace. Of course... the undergarments are up to you. _

_Riku _

The dress itself was one of the ones that fit my figure perfectly; the fabric was the exact color of my necklace, shimmering black. It was completely silk, extraordinarily soft to the touch. I looked through the lingerie and found undergarments that matched, and slipped on the dress. I walked over the dresser, and fixed my hair down in front of the mirror, just a simple thing. My face didn't need any makeup, and _I_ at least thought I looked presentable, so slipped on the shoes and walked outside.

"Riku..." I whispered his name and began to walk. Pretty soon, I found myself in a room, where he was dressed in a black suit. I ran up and kissed him.

"Rose... you look beautiful..." I looked down at the ground, a little embarrassed.

"Thanks for lending me this..."

"It's not a loan. I want you to keep that, and everything else in that room."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"Well... I don't know..."

"Hmmm..." he glanced at an orb on his desk. "Our visitors have arrived. Let's go greet them, it's only polite." He smirked.

"I say we go." He held out his arm to me, and I took it, and we began our slow descent towards Sora and Co.

"Gawrsh, this place sure is pretty."

"Shut up, you oversized donkey."

"Guys, will ya knock it off?"

"Sorry, Sora."

We watched Sora, Goofy, and Donald walking down the hall, towards the grand staircase, where we awaited their ascent.

"They're so clumsy..." I whispered to Riku.

"I know... you should have seen Sora when he was little."

I giggled silently at this thought, then moved closer to Riku.

"This place _is_ pretty," came Sora's voice.

"Why, thank you, old friend," Riku had finally spoken.

"YOU!" exclaimed Sora, making a mad dash toward the top of the stairs.

Riku froze Sora where he was standing, all he could do was move his eyes around. "Either of you try that and the same will happen to you," he said to Goofy and Donald.

"Gawrsh, Sora never did anything to you!" Goofy said ignorantly.

It was exploding time for Riku. He began to circle Sora, yelling, "NEVER DID ANYTHING TO ME?" he glared at Goofy. "NEVER DID ANYTHING TO ME? HE STOLE KAIRI, HE STOLE THE KEYBLADE, HE STOLE TRAVERSE TOWN, HE STOLE HALLOWEEN TOWN, HE STOLE MY FIRST GUMMI SHIP, HE STOLE MY PAOPU, HE STOLE MY VICTORY, HE STOLE MY PRIDE, HE STOLE ROSE'S VIRGINITY, AND YOU SAY HE NEVER DID ANYTHING TO ME? YOU IGNORANT DONKEY!"

"Dat's wat I tell him alla da time," said Donald. Riku turned around and glared at him, and I ran down the stairs.

"Riku, calm down!" I took hold of his hands. "Please..." He relaxed, and sighed.

"Okay. But only for you." I let go of him, and Sora was released.

"Riku," said Sora, turning around and facing him, "I'm just here to negotiate the release of my friend Rose."

Riku smirked. "She's not a prisoner. I have not done her any harm, unlike some of us. However," he said, when Sora looked at him doubtfully, "if you want to ask her who she'd rather stay with, myself or you, ask away."

"I think I will." Sora looked at me. "Rose, would you rather stay here with Riku, who will keep you prisoner, or would you rather come with me and be free?"

"I'm staying right where I am, thank you very much. But I think you may need to be tested... I think you're a pathological liar. With Riku, I have clothes and a bed and can roam anywhere I want to, and I have protection," I touched the black pendant.

Sora looked at Riku, malice in his eyes. "You've brainwashed her!"

"He hasn't." I was about to explode again. "All he's done since he found me in that alley is take care of me and love me! I know where I am, who you are, and what you've done to me. Face it, Sora. You made a mistake, a huge mistake. You may have wanted me to love you, but I can't. I can't love people who did to me what you did. I'm sorry, Sora, but no." By this time, I was shaking, and my hair was threatening to break out of it's brushed together bonds.

"Go away," said Riku, gazing at them while moving closer to me. "I will not have you distress her anymore. The heartless can show you the way out." He snapped his fingers, and the black creatures began to advance on the three. As the three began to fight, Riku led me upstairs to my room.

Once we were locked inside, we collapsed on the bed.

"You know that Sora's going to fight his way up here..." I said, absentmindedly playing with his hair, which had spread out when he had laid down.

"Yeah... I know it."

"What should we do?"

"Wait for them."

"Whawait?"

"Yeah. I'm a lot more powerful than he is. And you have guns as well."

"I can't win against him. You know that."

"I know. But they match your dress."

"So?"

"So it makes for good appearances stuff."

"Erm?"

He laughed. "It doesn't matter."

"Sure it doesn't."

Riku stood up and then lifted me onto my feet. "Well, I'm not quite sure why you have those... but I'm sure that whoever is controlling all of this nonsense has a reason."

"They may... You know I don't know much about any of this."

"Yeah... I know it. You wanna see what they're doing?"

"Uh... sure. How?"

"Over here." Walking over to the dresser, he pressed a button hidden in the mirror's woodwork. On the mirror appeared the three... fighters, I suppose is what I should call them. "They're almost here."

"Okay then... so they'll try and fight us?"

"Yeah. Um... he may send his pets after you."

I laughed. "I think I can handle them. If they're not as powerful as he is..."

"Of course they're not, silly. The greedy little bastard takes all the Power-Ups for himself. The duck fights with a staff and the cow fights with a shield."

"DON'T CALL GOOFY A COW!" This particular shout came from the door way.

"Ah... welcome," said Riku, ever the gracious host.

"Now I will take back Rose! You will torture her no longer!"

Riku raised a silver eyebrow. "Torture her?"

"I don't know what you've been doing to her, but YOU WILL PAY! Donald, Goofy, the only way to release her from his spell is to make her pass out! I'll take care of Riku!"

The three... er... 'people' ran at us. Riku and I didn't move, until he pulled out his keyblade to block Sora's attack. I didn't have to block anything, however. The black crystal did all of that for me. So, I pulled out my guns, and began to attack the two animals with ice bullets. Every time I hit them they called out things like "We'll free you, Rose!" and "Don't worry, we're here!" What a bunch of dumbutts. I had them both out within five minutes.

Looking over at Riku, I saw that he had Sora down, too. Down enough so he couldn't fight back, anyway. However, he still had energy to speak.

"Don't fool yourself, Riku. She is an outsider... not part of any of our worlds... you know what you should do."

Riku looked disturbed for a moment, but then he shook his head. "I know what I should do to you. In fact..." he waved me over. "Rose, would you like to kill him yourself?"

I thought for a moment, then said, "No, Riku."

They both looked taken aback. "What?"

"There are things worse than death..."

Riku smiled. "Yes there are. But what do you propose we do now?"

"I say we let them go. But they won't come hunting us again, will you, Sora?"

"I..." Sora began, "I will continue on my quest to unlock the keyholes... but should I encounter the two of you on the way... I WILL FIGHT!" He looked determined.

"Uh... shut up," I said, rolling my eyes.

"We don't want your heroism here," said Riku. "Now leave, or _I_ will kill you."

Sora gave his friends potions and they ran out of there, although I

got the feeling they didn't want to.

Laying my head on his shoulder I said, "I don't like him either. But what was that he said about what you should do?"

"Um... nothing..." I ran my hand down his toned chest, and he caught it in his.

"Hmm... some day I will know, won't I?"

"Someday..."

We stood there and stared at the open doorway for a few minutes, me wondering about him, and him thinking about... whatever he should do...

He turned to me, holding both my hands, and asked, "Rose?" This was his 'I'm an unsure fifteen year old boy asking a girl out to dinner' voice.

"Yes?" I replied smiling.

"Do you want to go walk around some... and then go eat dinner... and then..." his voice kind of faded out, and he looked at me, a little blush in his cheeks.

"Yes... I would love that..." I said, stepping closer. He wrapped his arms around me, and I laid my head on him.

We stood there for a few seconds, and finally broke apart. "Um..."

he said, looking to be a little nervous. "Would you like to change?"

"Um..." I looked down at my wrinkled dress. "Yeah... That would be nice."

I found myself back in my room, alone, of course. Opening up the wardrobe, I found a black skirt and a deep-blue baby-doll t-shirt, with black sandals. I slipped these on, ran a brush through my hair, and there was a prompt knock at my door.

Upon opening it, I saw Riku, dressed in black pants and a black shirt.

"Hey," I said, with a little smile playing on my lips.

Apparently regaining confidence, he smiled back and lightly kissed me. "Erm... should we start at the front door?"

"That would be great!" I said, smiling up into his eyes. As soon as I said this, everything turned to the purple-black that I had guessed was the darkness that was so often spoken of. When I could see again, we were standing before a gigantic black door that shined with a symbol... like a heart with an X through it.

"That," he said, indicating the symbol, "is the Heartless crest. You'll see it on almost every one of the creatures." (There were many of these creatures hiding out in the trees, I could see their yellow eyes glowing at me.)

With a wave of his hand, the door opened, and I saw a few heartless scurry away. One, however, could not fit anywhere, as it seemed to be a gigantic heartless balloon. Waving his hand again, (this made the heartless disappear), Riku said, "Those are large body heartless."

Smiling, I replied, "Yeah... I wonder why?" We both laughed at this, and he led me to a little gray door off to the side.

"Guess what's in here?" he asked me, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Um..." I said, surveying the tiny door. "A broom closet?"

"No, silly." he opened the door. "It's a library..."

"Oh my god..." It was the library of any bookworm's dreams. Something I would kill to have. (I may not like school, but that doesn't mean that I don't like to read!) I walked inside, wandering between the bookshelves. "Whoa..." There must have been a thousand rows of books in that room. Some were very, very old volumes of literature, while others looked unread. One wall of the room was all windows, and they looked out onto an ocean that shone with a red sunset. Here, standing on an ebony rug, were several black leather cushy armchairs with footstools, and a couch with a black chenille throw and pillows. Beside each of the chairs and on either side of the couch stood glass tables on black iron bases, and on each of these tables was some form of decorative... thing. Reaching out to touch one, I found that it was chocolate! And not just some Hershey's stuff, this was real, hand-made-with-care chocolate. It was wonderful, and made my taste buds dance. I could easily see myself curled up on one of the chairs, or laying on the sofa with Riku, eating chocolate and reading by the sea. I turned and looked out the windows, admiring the sky's last green and purple hues.

"Do you like it?" Riku was standing next to me, his arm around my waist, gazing at me with those bright aqua eyes that, in the past week, I had come to love.

"It's... gorgeous..." I leaned on him, breathing in his scent.

We paused for a moment, waiting for the sun to set.

"Would you like something to eat?" he asked, once the sun was nearly gone. (The room was lit now with bright light that seemed to come from the ceiling, though the thing was so high up I couldn't be sure.)

"Yeah," I said, and I meant it. The last time I had eaten was the

dinner back on the gummi ship.

"C'umon, we've got dinner waiting for us upstairs." He led me out of the library, this time through a different door. (It was clear that this was the intended front entrance, as it boasted a door made of silver with sapphire accents.) Up the stairs and down a long hallway was another door, this one made of black ebony with ivory accents. The prominent shape on the door was the heartless crest, but that of course was all over the place in this house.

He opened the door to a long dining room, a single candelabra sitting in between the two places set. It was dark, but I didn't care. Somehow, I didn't care... maybe it was the crystal, or just the, I dunno how to describe it... maybe... _type _ of darkness. It was odd.

"This way," he said, leading me towards the chair next to his (his was at the head of the table). Ever the gentleman, he pulled the chair out for me, and pushed me back in. I smiled, and failed to suppress a giggle. I saw him smile as he sat himself down, and then in a second we were both laughing.

"How... laugh did you... laugh laugh... do... laugh that? laugh" Riku said, as soon as he got some of his breath back.

Still laughing, I said, "I didn't do that, silly! laugh It was laugh laugh you!" As soon as our giggles subsided, we began to eat. I lifted the silver cutlery with care, as it was heavy. On the table, there was rosemary chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, green beans, three types of bread, and more than one type of cheese. Riku poured us both a glass of white wine.

There was little conversation, although I knew we were both sneaking glances at each other when we thought the other wasn't looking. Finally, we both had finished what we wanted to eat and our wine. The clock on the roof chimed ten times, echoing in the silence of the hall.

"I..." he began, somewhat hesitantly, but seemed to gain confidence, "I... I can't tell you how wonderful it is not to have to sit here alone..."

"I can imagine so..." I said, thinking what it would be like to be him.

"I'm afraid I get rather lonely sometimes. But now you're here..."

"And I'll be here until you kill me, or worse, banish me."

At these words, he grinned at me. "Oh yes, I will kill you!" he said, still smiling, while standing up.

"Ha ha Riku!" I, too, jumped up, ready to run from him. But, before I could move, he had his arms around my waist, restraining me.

"Got you!" he said, as I struggled to escape.

"Riku!" We were both laughing. Somehow, I escaped, and dashed for the entrance. He must have let me run, because I know he could have caught me if he wanted to. I ran and ran, finally reaching a wall of large, french doors that led out to a balcony. I ran out, closing them behind me. I rested of a second, out of breath and panting.

Looking out into the distance, I could see what I thought was the ocean, but in front of it... there were gigantic ones, with gleaming yellow eyes and heart shapes cut out of the middle. Luckily, they were facing outwards, not looking at me. But I was still afraid, especially when I glanced down and saw millions of the yellow eyes. These were doubtlessly the smaller heartless that had attacked me earlier that day. Farther out in the distance, I thought I saw larger shadows, at least fifty times as tall as me. I shuddered, and clutched at the pendant that was around my neck, and, upon finding it, turned and decided to go back inside. But before I could take a step forward, I collided with a black shirt.

"Got you," whispered a voice in my ear, as strong arms wrapped around my waist.

"Darn it..." I said, relaxing.

He laughed and was about to kiss me, but a whining noise came from behind us. "Heartless," he whispered in my ear, before turning around to face the creature. It was large, floating, and had a long blue

sword in its hand.

"Holy crap..." I said, and moved closer to Riku.

"It's fine... it won't hurt you," he said to me, and made a few hand gestures at the heartless. It groaned again, and disappeared in a flash of black and purple.

"What...?" I inquired, my curiosity was sparked.

"Bad news... but nothing you need to worry about."

Somehow I knew he was not telling the truth. And I wanted to know why, but left it for tonight. It was then I first began to feel the Pull.

I wasn't quite sure what exactly the Pull was, but it was _something_, alright. A constant feeling of jerking from the bottom of the heart... pulling me down onto the floor. There were days, afterwards, where I could hardly stand up because the Pull was so great. Occaisionally, it would increase; and once it was so great and hard a pull that I passed out and woke up with no definite memory of anything and lying prostrate on the ground.

I was at _Isola Del Cielo_ for what I thought was months, but I couldn't tell, because time didn't make any difference in Riku's house. For some reason, he wouldn't take me off the island, but I was happy. He was away on "business" for several hours a day, and always returned to me, at his house. We grew closer each day, finding out more and more about each other.

One day, however, was different. He didn't go out that day, instead staying at home (yes, home... it was more than just a place to live now), locked in his room. When I knocked at the door, he didn't answer, so I went and wandered around, thinking to go and get some chocolate in the library then settling down to finish _Hamlet_. But I found that the library door, too, was locked. _What is going on?_ I turned around and found myself in my room, three black leather suitcases on the bed, and several other black leather bags in the bathroom. But, best of all, Riku was there.

"Riku! What's going on?" I asked, stepping towards him.

"Pack!" He said this with such ferocity that I jumped back a few paces, fear in my eyes. "Sorry..." His voice was much softer now, but he continued with and urgent tone. "You need to pack everything in this room except for the bed covers. We're leaving. I'll explain why while you work."

I ran to the wardrobes and began to pull out dresses and shirts, pants and underwear, shoes, pantyhose, and socks. I folded and organized it all in the suitcases, then headed to the bathroom to do the same with my toiletries, all while Riku talked.

"Do you remember when you first came here and I talked to a

heartless?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, it said that we needed to leave. And we should have left then, it would be easier... But never mind that. This world is being transformed. For some reason, my master has selected this to be what he calls "The End of the World." He's going to use it to destroy the Keyblade Master."

Oh no. "What will become of this place?"

"It will all be destroyed. All of it, except for what we can fit in suitcases."

There was no way the entire library could fit into my suitcases. Anyway... the door was locked. I paused to mourn the loss of all the great and small novels that would be lost.

I felt a hand on my back. "Don't worry, Rose. We have a house in Traverse Town, in the Second District. It, needless to say, is much smaller, only one bedroom... but we'll manage." He smiled.

I finished packing and we boarded the gummi ship. I noticed that he had just as many suitcases as I did stuffed into the storage compartment; thankfully there was enough space for mine. In my arms I carried a white kitty that Riku had given me at our "one-month" anniversary at _Isola Del Cielo_. I had named her Annie, and tied a blue ribbon around her neck. She mewed when the ship started up, but soon settled down in my lap to sleep.

Riku was rather agitated, I could tell by the way his hands maneuvered the controls with quick motions. He wouldn't even look at me, but what could I do about it? I kinda wished he would talk to me, or something, but, before I could say anything, we entered a warp hole and were outside Traverse Town. When we disembarked at the gates and began to unload, I decided to try and start a conversation.

"Riku–" but he was ahead of me.

"Rose–"

"Yes?" I said, pretending I hadn't said anything.

"I– well... never mind... I'll tell you later. The house is this way." And, without another glance, he quickly walked up the stairs and towards the doors of the Second District.

When we got to the house and had finished unpacking, he began again.

"Rose... I'm so sorry... I know how much you loved _Isola_–"

"It's fine," I said, smiling. "We're here, we're safe–"

"Not forever, we're not safe. Kairi lives here. We'll need to keep away from the areas that Sora goes to. He could... he would... again. And I don't want that to happen. At all."

I walked up and caressed his face. "It won't, I won't let it." I shuddered, remembering, not for the last time, that horrible feeling, that cold touch...

Sensing my disturbed mind, Riku gave me a warm hug and kissed the top of my head. "Let's not think about this anymore. This place is drab and unused, there's a decorating store in the First District. I–I'll be gone more than usual, it's getting closer–"

"What's 'it'? Please tell me..." I looked up at him, pleading to know the secret he'd kept for so long.

He looked at me, and I could swear I could see tears in his eyes, but he blinked twice and they were gone. "I suppose... I should tell you..."

"Please... " I ran my fingers through his hair.

"It... is when... the door opens. When you have to go back to your world, when... well, I don't quite know what will happen to me..."

"But that means... God... I don't wanna think about it... _separated..._"

"I will find you again, I promise." he looked at me again, a sad smile on his face, and ran his fingers down my face, ending at my chin, and we kissed, again, and again... each time hungrier and more desperate, deeper and deeper, our tears blending, our hands going every where. I couldn't let him go.

"I love you..."

When we finally stopped for breath, we were laying on the sofa, both with gentle tears still running down our faces.

"Riku," I said, whispering so he could just hear me, "I won't be able to sleep... ever... if I don't know what happens to you, what you're going through."

After a moment of silence, he pulled me against his chest.

"Your heart..."

"When you can't here it anymore... then you can worry..."

Sleep finally came, each of us lulled to unconsciousness by the others steady breath.

When I awoke the next morning, I was alone, covered by the black coverlet that I knew Riku had in his room at _Isola_. Pinned to the corner was a note.

_Rose,_

_I must leave... I don't know when I'll be back... _

_But I'll return. I promise._

_I love you._

_Riku _

"He'll come back..." I whispered to the coverlet, breathing in his scent.

But I knew I couldn't lay there all day. I stood up and walked to the kitchen, and noticed half of one of the yellow star-shaped fruit. _Paopu. _I smiled, now knowing it's meaning, and finished it off. It was then I decided to explore the house, and fix it so it was livable. I began in the bedroom.

I noticed that there was a king sized bed in there (it was not a small bedroom), and that we didn't have a king sized coverlet, or any other decorating essentials. I remembered what Riku had said about the decor shop in the First District. When I had finished, I had a black-and-blue themed room, iridescent black and blue for the coverlet, black and blue pillows, black furniture, a sofa with black velvet, a luxury kitten bed in the corner. I would not be sleeping alone, the bed was too large for that. (One does not have to do anything with the other person in the bed).

By the time I was finished, I was exhausted. So I went to my closet and pulled out my black nightgown, just plain silk that swept the floor, climbed into bed, and went to sleep hugging a pillow. I spent the next week or more finishing the house, not seeing a glimpse of the one that I love. I still wore my crystal necklace, and still felt the Pull.

One day, when I was out for a walk, a sudden grasp trapped me from behind. But they were not his hands.

"Sora," I breathed, anger filling me. I forced my self out of his grasp and my guns appeared in my hands.

"Rose," He said, smiling. "What are you doing in Traverse Town? Has Riku finally let you go? Or has the Pull become too much? You feel it, don't you?"

I shook my head. "He never trapped me in the first place. I chose to go with him. And I don't know what 'pull' you're talking about. So shut up." I turned off the safety on my guns, and aimed at his throat. I felt a sudden jerk by the Pull when he mentioned it, as if some part of me were longing for what I was being dragged toward, and was encouraged by hearing the word outloud; but I stood still, fingers on the triggers.

"Wait!" he said, holding his arms up. "Wait! I was just going to ask you a question!"

"What is it?" I whispered, the guns held steady.

"Have you seen Riku?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused, my guns lowering.

"I need to talk to him before I go to the End."

I shook my head, trying to hold back tears at the mention of the "End," as Sora put it. I had pushed all thoughts of it out of my head. "He... he's been gone for the past week... I haven't seen him since the night we arrived in Traverse Town."

"What?" he mouthed. I just nodded and let a tear fall down.

"I do know what I'm going to have to do..."

"We can get to your world, you know."

I looked up at him with a sad malice. "You will have to kill him. So how is he going to get to me?"

"Rose..." he reached out a comforting hand.

"No! DON'T TOUCH ME!" I turned and fled back home, tears freely falling. When I finally reached the door, I fumbled with the lock and let myself in, collapsing face down on the sofa that was still in the living room, with Riku's coverlet still on it. "Don't touch me... don't... don't..."

I was being pulled down, down into the deep depths of my memory, _I don't want to go there yet!_ I could feel the arteries popping as my heart was being ripped from my very body, the blood would soon stain the sofa, my essential organ was not functioning anymore. I grasped for my pulse, first my wrist, then feeling on my neck. _Where is it?_ I was panicking, crying.

"Rose... don't cry..." a familiar hand stroked my hair.

I slowly turned over when I heard that voice. "Riku?"

He smiled, "Don't cry anymore."

"Riku!" I stood up to face him, and threw myself around him. "You're back... you're back... "

"Yes. And there's hope for us."

"Hope?" I asked, looking up at him curiously.

"Yes."

"Riku, I love you so much!" I gave him a kiss, and he grasped the back of my head, pulling it deeper. I loved the feel of his lips on mine, his tongue in my mouth, his hands on me, the salty sea smell that had always been him.

"I love you too..." he said, when we stopped to breathe.

"I missed you so much..."

"Now, show me what you've done with this drab house."

"Oh, not much... just enough to keep myself occupied."

"Wow..." he said, as I showed him around. Then, "This is quite the bedroom. But I notice there's a gigantic bed in here. What's that supposed to mean?" he asked playfully, smiling at me.

"Oh, nothing," I said innocently.

"I suppose I should resist the urge."

I smiled and said innocently, "For what?"

"You know what."

"Maybe."

He laughed. "I'm sorry I've been gone so long. It took me a while to convince my master's master to help me."

"Huh?"

"Never mind." His stomach growled.

"Hee hee... silly boy, come eat your dinner!"

Later, after we finished, we stepped out on the balcony that connected to the roof of the Gizmo Shop, and the topic was somehow brought up about the sleeping arrangements.

"So... Rose... do you want me to sleep in the bed with you?"

"Of course. But you can't get _too_ naughty."

He laughed at this. "Me? I would never!"

"Yes you would!" I couldn't keep myself from laughing. "And I wouldn't wanna stop you!"

He suddenly became serious again. "Then why not... why can't we..."

"Because... well..." I sighed. "I don't know... It's just... I feel too young "

He smiled and pulled me closer to him (I'll have you know I happily obliged). "I understand... We're only fifteen, after all... and you've always been one for morals haven't you?"

I leaned up against him, and we stood and gazed at the sky. Afer a pause I said "It's always night time here, isn't it?"

"Yeah... It's weird how we know when it's time to sleep..."

"And you can watch as the stars twinkle any time of the day. It's beautiful..."

"Mmmm..." and he brushed his lips against mine.

The next thing I knew, we were standing in our bedroom, holding each other an arm's length apart.

"So you don't want to..."

"Yes I do... but we can't."

"We'll do something else, then." I was pulled close to him, and he began to kiss my neck deliciously.

I knew the next day would be my last in Riku's worlds.

We slept in the next morning, and awoke entwined with each other.

"Good morning," He said when I woke up.

"Morning... " I yawned, snuggling in closer to his warmth.

"Rose... You know what today has in store..."

"Not... yet," I said, looking in his eyes. "Is that okay?"

"It most certainly is... "

"Now... come here..." I pulled him down under the sheets and

kissed him like it would be the last time. Fifteen minutes later, we fell off the bed onto the floor, putting a halt to our mouths.

"Rose..."

"Yeah... I know, showers."

"Then go on. You go first."

I sighed. "I guess this is something we have to do alone..."

"We could...do it together... But it would be hard to hold back..."

"Yeah... It must have been hard last night."

He looked down and blushed. "Yeah..."

"It's okay," I said, stroking his silver hair.

"Now go on... I'll fix up the bed."

"All right..." I stood up and walked into the bathroom, and closed the door.

I sighed as I let the hot water flow down my body. It felt so good...

so cleansing... I washed away every bad thing that had happened, and, though I would never forget, it was easier to not remember.

So many things forgotten...

And then they came flooding into my head. All of them. All of the memories from my childhood, from my life, from my home before _Isola_. It was all too much, fifteen years of life. I feel onto my knees, trying to take it all in without screaming. _I don't want to remember this..._ When it was over, when they were back in my head, my shower was ruined.

It was like looking through a history book; and it took me a while to understand and realize that this things had happened to _me_.

Once I had dried off and put on a bra and panties, I walked out to find Riku sitting on the couch staring out into space.

"They came back, didn't they?" he asked, still not looking at me.

"Yeah..." My voice was soft, and I tried to keep emotion from playing a large role in my tone.

"They had to come back though."

"I know it..." I walked over to my closet and pulled out a pair of dark blue jeans and a blue t-shirt.

"Make sure you wear something that _they_ would... approve... of."

"I know..."

I went and sat down next to him, leaning my head on his shoulder, his arm around me. We sat in silence for a few minutes, until I decided something.

"It's our last day together for... a long time... so we need to do stuff besides moping around in the house."

He looked at me, a smile playing on his lips. "This is why I love you."

"Sora wanted to see you... we could walk over there."

"I know he did. I talked to him, and we made a deal. It's all sealed." He smiled at me, fingering my ear.

"A deal?"

"It's nothing. Now... should I go take you to different worlds? There is so much you haven't seen."

"Sounds fun." I smiled at him. "Do you want to go take a shower first?"

"That," he said, standing up, "would be great."

Later, we were in the gummi ship, Annie curled up under Riku's seat.

"So," I said, "where to first?"

"We head to the Deep Jungle." Riku pressed the warp drive button, and we were there.

"This is so beautiful..."

We had landed in a tree house surrounded by tropical flowers. It was an old place, and nature had taken over.

"Do you like it?" He asked, arm around my waist.

"I love it," I kissed his neck, and in response he snuck his hand up

the back of my shirt.

"C'umon, I have the perfect place to eat lunch." He walked out of the tree house and beckoned me to follow him. When I got out to the balcony, he smiled at me and jumped down.

"RIKU!"

"It's okay," he said, his voice carrying up to me. "I'll catch you."

And so I took a deep breath and jumped after him. "Wheeeeeeee..."

"Got ya!" I landed in his arms, and, after pecking me on the forehead, he set me down. "Now come on!" He ran quickly toward an opening in the rock wall.

"Come back!" I chased him through the opening, a campsite, a bamboo thicket, until we got to a wall of leaves. He jumped up there and smiled when I got there. (Of course, I couldn't jump that high.)

"Out of breath, are you?" He asked playfully, smiling down at me.

"I wouldn't be if you didn't run so fast!" I said. "How did you get up there?"

"I jumped," he said simply. "What, do you want to come see me?"

"Hell yeah."

"All right then." He moved his fingers up and towards him, and my body followed. When I was finally close enough to land a kiss on his lips or slap him across the face, (I wasn't sure what I wanted to do), he was off again, running into a tunnel that led to who knows where.

"GET BACK HERE!" I yelled, running after him.

I got through the tunnel only to see he was at the top of the waterfall. "Come on up," he said, and I found myself flying up to him.

"Stay... here..." I panted, grabbing onto his shirt so he couldn't run.

"I won't run anymore," he said, and he laid out a soft blue blanket for us to sit on while we ate.

"Whoa..." I said, when I finally had enough wits to look around.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he said, leaning back against the damp rocks.

We were behind a waterfall, and the waterfall was so clear that one could see the jungle through the water. It looked like a giant stained glass window.

"It is..." I sat down next to him, and the rock was cool and smooth, worn away by centuries of water cascading down its surface.

I reached over and pulled out two chicken salad sandwiches, two water glasses, and two chocolate chip cookies. Handing Riku the two glasses, I said, "Go on and fill them up," then went about setting everything up.

"This looks wonderful!" he said when he came back.

"Doesn't it?" I asked, picking up my sandwich.

We ate our food in semi-silence, thinking how this would be our last meal together for a long time.

"Rose..." he said, when we were on our cookies. "We can't keep this up, like you said this morning..."

I smiled sadly at him, replying, "I know... it's just... when you try not to think about something, you think about it, you know?"

"Yeah... yeah I know..."

"Hmmm... let's think of something."

"Umm... how about a swim?"

"We don't have swimsuits... and we can't swim with clothes on..."

He was staring straight ahead now, his 'I'm being perverted' smile on his face. "Who said anything about clothes?"

"Nobody... but..." I gasped as I _finally_ realized what he was saying.

"I wouldn't do anything in the water."

"Umm... oh, what the heck. Let's do it." My heart was beating against my ribcage the entire time.

"Oh yeah!" he said, punching the air.

"You are so perverted," I said, pulling off my shirt.

"Hey, I'm a guy," he said, as if it was an excuse.

"Shut up," I said, then, in just my bra and panties, I ran down to the lake. I unhooked my bra and pulled off my panties, then jumped into the water. It was warm, just the right temperature. "Come on!" I yelled, waving at him. When he got to the lake, he stripped off his boxers and jumped in.

Later that afternoon, laying out on the beach (air-drying), I asked where we'd go next.

"Well," he mumbled into my neck, "we could turn into fish... or wander an enchanted forest..."

I giggled slightly at this suggestion. "Turn into a fish?"

"Mmmm... in Atlantica. I wish I could take you to Halloween Town, but Sora went and destroyed that. There's a pirate ship too"

"Hook's right? I remember him from Christmas."

"Yeah," he said, smiling a bit. "Speaking of Christmas, is your scar still there?"

"Of course it is," and I turned so he could see the black insignia on my hip. He touched it gently, sending little shocks of pain through me. "Ouch..."

"It won't ever heal," he said, softly, apologetically.

"It's not your fault. We've already had this discussion."

He laughed at this. "Next you say it's a way for you to remember what happened here, an ever-present reminder of _Isola_, and I'll say that's not the only memory that goes with this, making you recall the day you got it, but you'll respond that you don't regret what happened"

"and you'll sigh and say I'm the most stubborn girl you've ever met." It was my turn to laugh. "We're like an old married couple."

"Have you ever been an old married couple before?"

"No... I guess not."

"Then how would you know that is what it's like?" Fortunately, I was saved by a cold breeze that swept across us suddenly, engendering our sudden leap up and run towards our clothes. Once we were warm inside these garments, Riku transported us and the picnic basket back to the gummi ship.

"What would you say to going to the enchanted forest?"

"Sounds good to me."

We ended up in a place, which I later found to be called the Lotus Forest, where grass was three times as tall as Riku and flowers of equal proportions to the grass.

After sitting, cuddling, and mumbling for several minutes, he showed me the most beautiful thing I think I will ever see.

"Watch this," he said, using fiarga on a gorgeous multi-stemmed, multi-white-flowered plant.

"Don't burn it!" I said anxiously.

"Just watch." He stepped back, and within the next few seconds, I understood why.

There was a great pillar of fire streaming up to the sky from the pretty flowers, who now had their faces turned skyward (as opposed to groundward, where they had been facing previously), and it suddenly burst into billions of little tiny light specks, which fell to the ground like lumionous rain. It was in this moment that he turned to me and slipped a light band around my finger.

"I do not mean for you to marry me yet, but I hope you'll take this ring as a sign of my promise to never be unfaithful in thought or action while we are apart," Riku said softly, getting onto one knee.

I couldn't say anything, do anything, but smile through my tears for a few seconds. When I had recovered I gave my own vow, my voice cracking "I will never be unfaithful to you either, my strength, my love." When I looked at the ring I saw it was a silver band with a glittering diamond in the shape of a triangle.

"This is so amazing... Riku, I love you!"

"I love you, too... my lovely Rose..." We fell into a passionate kiss, (not a dirty one, though!) but broke away prematurely, because, suddenly, his hand went right through my back.

"What was that?" I asked, now freaked out to a full extent. For goodness sake, I was _transparent!_

"You're fading!" His tone was worried. "Touch your necklace!" As soon as I did, I felt immense pain, but I was solid again.

"Ah..."

"You'll be fine..." he said, taking me in and holding me close, treasuring me. "Fine... I can't bear to lose you yet, Rose, so don't go."

"I'll try," I said, savoring his arms around me, his muscular chest and stomach, his soft, silver hair gliding around me, entangaling with mine, his leater gloves gently massaging the back of my neck, the gentle scent of his skin.

"But now it hurts... I'm going to burst again!" I fell onto my hands and knees, the feelings of the night on the couch returning. My life's blood was rushing to my heart, and my heart was going to explode.

"NO!" yelled Riku, and he grabbed me, somehow giving me strength from his own body. "YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER YET!"

Once the ordeal was over and I was feeling somewhat back to normal, he said to me, "There is a way that I can make this less physically painful, but it would mean sooner parting."

I just looked at him, not knowing what to do.

"All it would take," he continued, "would be me taking you back to your home."

"What home? Home, as they say, is where the heart lies. And my heart lies here," I said, laying my hand over his chest. "I don't want to go back there. I remember what it was like there! We were poor, barely able to get food on the table, my mother a prostitute to put her children through the _public_ school system, because she couldn't get financial support! I didn't interact well with the other students, I had no 'best friends', only so-called boyfriends who used me! You are where I belong, and no where else."

"But if being with me causes you physical pain, Rose, then it is painful for me to have you alongside me. Believe my words: I would have you at my side at all times if I could. So if nothing else, do it to spare me the pain of knowing you are in pain."

"You win," I said after a pause, sighing. "If we must go, let's go now, then."

We boarded the gummi ship, and began the ride back to my world. He set the ship on auto pilot, as we were both feeling the pull. He was needed at the "end," I was so close to my home world it seemed to be pulling me in.

"Riku... it hurts..." I said, clutching at my heart.

"We're close... I know... I'm going to let you off an hour before you passed out. So that we don't have to deal with anything." and then: "Rose, I am going to try and find a way out of this as soon as I can. I will make my way back to you, I promise."

"Thanks..." before I had woken up in Traverse Town so many months ago, I had passed out in a fist fight against three guys twice my size. "I'll remember to avoid that alley..."

We sat in silence for a few more minutes, until I broke it. "Riku... I am going to miss you so much..." I was fighting to keep the tears back.

"I don't want to let you go..." His arms encircled me, and I wet his shirt with my tears.

"Ahh!" I screamed, falling to my knees, clutching at where the pull

felt the worst. "I'm sorry..."

"It's not your fault," he said, kneeling down next to me, letting me lean on his strong body. "We're here..." I felt my self dematerializing, turning into dust that would reform down on the world's land. "I'll come back for you. I love you, Rose..."

"I love you..." And then I was back "home."

_Author's post note:Much thanks to my recent reviewers for inspiring me to re-write the ending; especially Kamden for reminding me that the story was yet unfinished and still not elaborated on enough yet. Also thanks all who reviewed this. Oh, and Sora's cool, but I just got tired of him so that's why he was the antagonist in this piece, but I still think Kairi's an annoying little brat. Also, one more thing, it may not be completely consistent yet, (I'm smiling guiltily) but more things may be understood as I advance to the second and third parts of this story. If you did not yet know, it advances with the Kingdom Hearts saga, and is begun after I finish the corresponding game. As for _Chain of Memories, _I am almost complete with the R/R mode, and will commence with the writing after I have had time to finish and contemplate it. The sequel to _Riku's Rose_ will (hopefully) be rather lengthy and more detailed. It may not happen until after school's out in May, and also may not get fully posted on Instead, I will probably have the entire story posted on my website, which you can find in my profile, it's listed as my homepage. Just click on the Romance genre in the side bar. Again, thank you for reading my story, and if you get here, for reading my lengthy note here at the end. _


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